From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2010-03-03T16:10:05+09:00
Subject: Re: A gem for handling temporary file(s)?

On 03/03/2010 05:07 AM, Albert Schlef wrote:
> Paul Harrington wrote:
>> Albert Schlef wrote:
>>> I'm writing a program that needs to generate two or three temporary
>>> files.
>>>
>>> (Specifically: my program runs a shell command and I need to pass the
>>> shell command a path to a non-existing file which it will dump data to.)
> [...]
>> ri Tempfile
>>
>> that'll get you started
> 
> Thanks! I didn't know about Tempfile.
> 
> Though I have a little problem: Tempfile let me *open* a new temporary 
> file. But I just need to generate a temporary file *name*, which I'll 
> pass to a shell command.

You could use a dirty hack and abuse a private method:

irb(main):005:0> Tempfile.open('/tmp') {|tf| p tf, 
tf.send(:make_tmpname,'a','o')}
#<File:/tmp/tmp20100303-4173-rdy9aq-0>
"a20100303-4173-kvk0d3-o"
=> [#<File:/tmp/tmp20100303-4173-rdy9aq-0 (closed)>, 
"a20100303-4173-kvk0d3-o"]
irb(main):006:0>

> I guess I'll immediately close the handle Tempfile.new() returns and 
> pass its path() to the shell command.

What do you want the external program to do with the tempfile?

Kind regards

	robert


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