From: Eugen Ciur Date: 2010-08-03T15:19:32+09:00 Subject: Re: File.new ("write.txt", "w+") results in error Excerpt from The Ruby Programming Language book:
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When you use parentheses in a method invocation, the opening parenthesis must immediately follow the method name, with no space.
 This is because parentheses can be used around an argument list in a method invocation, and they can be used for grouping expressions.
Consider the following two examples: 
square(2+2)*2    # square(4)*2 = 16*2 = 32
square (2+2)*2   # square(4*2) = square(8) = 64
In the first expression, the parentheses represent method invocation. In the second, they represent expression grouping.
To reduce the potential for confusion, you should always use parentheses around a method invocation if any of the arguments use parentheses.
The second expression would be written more clearly as: 
square((2+2)*2)
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In Ruby 1.8.x interpreter issued an warning, in Ruby 1.9.y they decided to issue an error when interpreter encounters something like foo (args).

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Eugen

On 08/02/2010 05:45 PM, VMDD TECH wrote: 
Hello everyone,

I am new to Ruby.

If there are spaces between new and (, then ruby 1.9.1p376 considers
it a syntactical error. For example:

File.new ("write.txt", "w+")

=>
syntax error, unexpected ',', expecting ')'
File.new ("write.txt", "w+")
                      ^
...: syntax error, unexpected ')', expecting $end

Is this a ruby bug or is it a feature/quirk of ruby?

By the way, if I write as
File.new "write.txt", "w+"
File.new("write2.txt", "w+")

then there are no problem.

Thanks,

Binh