From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2011-10-22T00:16:20+09:00
Subject: Re: special characters in identifier

On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 4:26 PM, DM W. <dwhelan@rallydev.com> wrote:
> I am attempting to create data via a ruby script. One of the require
> fields I need to populate is named:
> (aard.DLL$)
>
> I tried using:
> :"(aard.dll$)".to_sym => "kimchi" but it did not work. I also tried
> ":(aard.dll$)".to.sym => "kimchi"
> :"(aard.dll$)" => "kimchi"

All these are invalid syntaxes - but not because of special characters
in the Symbol but rather because you cannot simply do "expr1 =>
expr2".

> Any ideas? I am a novice, but tried searching online for symbol
> identifiers with special characters and could not find anything.

First, you do not need to append #to_sym:

irb(main):001:0> :"(aard.dll$)" == :"(aard.dll$)".to_sym
=> true

Second, maybe you just have the case wrong, because

irb(main):002:0> :"(aard.DLL$)" == :"(aard.dll$)"
=> false

Please note also that in all these examples no identifier is involved.
 The item before "=>" is at best a key in a Hash, e.g.

irb(main):003:0> h = {:"(aard.DLL$)" => "kimchi"}
=> {:"(aard.DLL$)"=>"kimchi"}

Can you provide a bit more context that explains what you are trying to achieve?

Kind regards

robert

-- 
remember.guy do |as, often| as.you_can - without end
http://blog.rubybestpractices.com/