From: "Peña, Botp" <botp@...>
Date: 2008-06-28T12:45:18+09:00
Subject: Re: File question

From: tekmc@hotmail.com [mailto:tekmc@hotmail.com] 
# t=Time.new
# e=false

ok
 
#if(File.size('ManageLists_Changelog.txt')==0)
#           e=true
#    end

i would prefer,

e = File.size('ManageLists_Changelog.txt')==0

#
#    File.open('ManageLists_Changelog.txt', 'r').each do |c|
#         if(c=="__#{t.month}/#{t.mday}/#{t.year} \(#{t.zone}\)")
#           puts "TESTING"
#               e=true
#             end
#         end

hmmm, if e is already true, why would i let it go through that code wc just sets it to true again??

maybe, you wanted test e first like,

if not e
  File.open('ManageLists_Changelog.txt', 'r').each do |c|
    if c=="__#{t.month}/#{t.mday}/#{t.year} \(#{t.zone}\)"
       e=true
    end
  end
end

(note, i'm just following the logic of your code)

now, when comparing strings, string#size usually catches the diff. and when debugging/printing values, it would be better if you use #p instead of #puts since #p quotes the whole string expression and displays invisible characters too (by escaping them w a backslash on display)

eg,

p "asdf\n\t"
=>"asdf\n\t"

vs.

puts "asdf\n\t"
=>asdf

print "asdf\n\t"
asdf
        #=> nil

ergo,  i would then do my test loop like,

File.open('ManageLists_Changelog.txt', 'r').each do |c|
  d="__#{t.month}/#{t.mday}/#{t.year} \(#{t.zone}\)"
  p c
  p d
  p c == d
end

hth. 
kind regards -botp