From: Taylor Strait <taylorstrait@...>
Date: 2006-12-28T14:21:38+09:00
Subject: Need help massaging some strings

As a Rails developer, I've been learning Ruby on a need-to-know basis.
However, I now need to tap its power to batch alter some very large text
dumps and find myself a bit lost.  Here is what I need to do:

Transform data in files like "alabama.txt":
    * White Hall, Lowndes County
    * Wilmer, Mobile County
    * Wilsonville, Shelby County
    * Wilton, Shelby County
    * Winfield, Marion County
    * Winterboro, Talladega County

...into this format:
White Hall
Wilmer
Wilsonville
Wilton
Winfield
Winterboro

I have created a method for doing this in "cleanup.rb":

def cleanup(state)
  diskfile = File.new(state + "-cleaned.txt", "w")
  $stdout = diskfile

  IO.foreach(state + ".txt") do |line|
    line.delete("\*")
    line.strip!
    temp = line.split(",")
    temp.delete_at(1).to_s
    puts temp
  end

  diskfile.close
  $stdout = STDOUT
end

So I go into IRB and here is how my session goes:

irb(main):008:0> require 'cleanup'
  => true
irb(main):009:0> cleanup(alabama)
  NameError: undefined local variable or method `alabama' for
main:Object
irb(main):010:0> cleanup
  ArgumentError: wrong number of arguments (0 for 1)


So my method is loaded but isn't working.  Could anyone offer any advice
on getting this thing running?  Thanks in advance.

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