From: Mike Austin <"mike[nospam]"@...>
Date: 2008-11-19T10:36:42+09:00
Subject: Re: Syntax question from a newbie to Ruby

David Spitzer wrote:
> John W Kennedy wrote:
>> David Spitzer wrote:
>>> puts 'Hello what is you\'re Favorite Number?'
>> Well, there's your /first/ syntax error.
>>
>>> puts 'I think ' + (number.to_i + 1) + ' may be a better favorite number
>>> though...'
>> Since "+" can mean either "concatenate strings" or "add numbers", you
>> need a "to_s" there, just as you needed "to_i" before trying arithmetic.
>> --
>> John W. Kennedy
>>   "Though a Rothschild you may be
>> In your own capacity,
>>      As a Company you've come to utter sorrow--
>> But the Liquidators say,
>> 'Never mind--you needn't pay,'
>>      So you start another company to-morrow!"
>>    -- Sir William S. Gilbert.  "Utopia Limited"
> 
> Aha it worked!:
> 
> puts 'I think ' + (number.to_i + 1).to_s + ' may be a better favorite 
> number though...'
> 
> thanks!

I don't see use of Ruby's streams used much in examples:

$stdout << "I think " << number + 1 << " may be a better favorite\n"

It's much cleaner, although not as simple a concept as print.

Mike