From: Mike Shock <mshock@...>
Date: 2007-02-10T03:41:01+09:00
Subject: Re: Help with Readlines error

Hi!
There is nothing wrong: you are reading the data in Unicode, namely in 
UCS2 - fixed 2-byte representation of string characters.
Here's my test program:
= = =
    data = File.open('unicode.txt').readlines
    p data
    puts data
= = =
and its output:

["\377\376T\000h\000i\000s\000 \000i\000s\000 \000a\000 
\000l\000i\000n\000e\000 \000i\000n\000 
\000U\000n\000i\000c\000o\000d\000e\000 
\000(\000U\000S\000C\0002\000)\000.\000"]
  This is a line in Unicode (USC2).

Regards -
Mike Shock

Bucco wrote:
> I don't know if it is me or if something is wrong with Ruby.  I am
> using ruby 1.8.5 (2006-08-25) [i386-mswin32] on an XP box.  I am
> following alon with some examples for readline in my new "Everyday
> Scripting with Ruby" book.  The book has me in irb and is explaining
> File.open('somefile.txt').readlines. I am not getting the same
> output.  My output has each word as a member of the array, but each
> character of each word has a \000 in front of the character. for
> example:
>
> irb(main):002:0> new_inventory = File.open('new-
> inventory.txt').readlines
> => ["\377\376e\000x\000e\000r\000c\000i\000s\000e\000-\000d\000i\000f
> \000f\000e\
>   
...
> r\000\n", "\000"]
>
> Any ideas what is wrong?
>
> Thanks:)
>
> SA
>
>
>