From: Phillip Gawlowski <cmdjackryan@...>
Date: 2008-04-09T09:36:59+09:00
Subject: Re: output of a method to file?

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Zoe Phoenix wrote:
| Maybe it would help if I posted the code, I'm not sure I understand...
| For example..:
|
|
| def cityList
| c_list = ['Boston', 'Nashville', 'San Francisco', 'Houston', 'Portland',
| 'Atlanta', 'Chicago', 'Indianapolis', 'Charleston']
|
| bar = '|| '
|
|
| puts bar + c_list[0..2].join(' pets || ') + (' pets ||')
|
| puts bar + c_list[3..5].join(' pets || ') + (' pets ||')
|
| puts bar + c_list[6..8].join(' pets || ') + (' pets ||')
|
| end
|
| cityList
|
|
| puts 'File completed. Save as..?'
| save_as = gets.chomp
|
|
|
| File::open('c:\rubyfiles\citylist-' + save_as + '.txt', 'w') do |f|
|
|
| ***********
|
| I need it to take the output of that method that I created and write it
| to a file... I'm not sure I understand how to do that with the example
| you gave. Since I know the code that I had after "File::open", etc. was
| wrong, I just left it out.

If it is allowed, I'll add some Ruby idioms (you'll find these often,
and will find them useful, I hope).

I saved your file as "saving.rb", and it now produces the following:

File completed. Save as..?
temp #that's the name I saved the file as

C:\temp>less c:\rubyfiles\citylist-temp.txt # This is how the file looks.
|| Boston pets || Nashville pets || San Francisco pets ||
|| Houston pets || Portland pets || Atlanta pets ||
|| Chicago pets || Indianapolis pets || Charleston pets ||

This is the reworked script:

def cityList
~  c_list = [
~    'Boston',
~    'Nashville',
~    'San Francisco',
~    'Houston',
~    'Portland',
~    'Atlanta',
~    'Chicago',
~    'Indianapolis',
~    'Charleston'
~    ] # I just changed that for readability.

~  bar = '|| ' # I left this, too.

~  temp_array = [] #This is a temporary array,
		  #I use to store the results.
~  temp_array.push bar + c_list[0..2].join(' pets || ') + (' pets ||') +
"\n" # This pushes the result of into the Array. It gets stored at the
first index of the Array. You could access it via temp_array[0].

~  temp_array.push bar + c_list[3..5].join(' pets || ') + (' pets ||') +
"\n" #This does something similar, except that it is stored at the next
Array index, temp_array[1]

~  temp_array.push bar + c_list[6..8].join(' pets || ') + (' pets ||') +
"\n" # See above, except this time it is temp_array[2]. Notice that I
added "\n" to your code. This adds a new line. Just delete it, if you
don't want the whole output on a new line, or just leave the last one,
if every iteration shall be on a new line.

end

puts 'File completed. Save as..?'
save_as = gets.chomp

File.open("c:/rubyfiles/citylist-#{save_as}.txt","w") do |f| # Here, I
used string-interpolation, which only works with the double quotes (").
~  f.write cityList #This is a bit complex. f.write takes the result of
cityList, and writes it to a file. In Ruby, every method returns its
last action, so to speak. In this case, it is the Array with all three
lines. Also notice, that you don't have to use File::open, but that
should work, too.
end #ending the block again, and closing the file.

I hope that helps (In case it's not really readable, just copy and paste
the code into your favorite editor).


| It would also be nice if I could have the method cycle through 3 items
| in the array, then write 3 to a new line, the continue in increments of
| 3 until it reaches the end of the array. But, I'm not sure if I should
| write another topic to ask that or if someone will answer that here.

Let me repeat, to see if I got that correctly:
You want to do cityList three times, and write all of these iterations
into 3 seperate files?

In that case, you could just wrap the File.open[..] part into a loop.
Like 3.times do
	File.open[...]
end

| Thanks for the help so far, though... I'm pretty new at this.

We all were, at one time. :)

I hope I can help you out.

In case you haven't found it: Chris Pine's Learn to Program helped me a
lot: pine.fm/LearnToProgram/

And _why's Piognant Guide to Ruby is good, too (although a bit..
strange): http://poignantguide.net/ruby/

- --
Phillip Gawlowski
Twitter: twitter.com/cynicalryan

~   There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.
		  -- Calvin
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