From: Daniel Carrera <dcarrera@...>
Date: 2003-02-12T06:51:03+09:00
Subject: Re: String frustration

> No problems reading the file and doing everything else the way I want to,
> and I end up with the string I intend to print out (that contains the
> embedded newlines). BUT: no matter what I do, I can't get either puts or
> print to substitute newlines for the "\n" sequences. Both methods just
> print them out as is. Not good.

Tell me if I understand the problem correctly.  You have string of the 
form:

str = 'line one\nline two\nline three' # Notice the single quotes.

And you want to replace the characters '\n' by the actual new-line "\n".
Did I understand correctly?

If this is so, would a regex do what you want?:

$ irb
>> str = 'line one\nline two\nline three'
=> "line one\\nline two\\nline three"
>> str.gsub!(/\\n/, "\n")
=> "line one\nline two\nline three"
>> puts str
line one
line two
line three
=> nil
>>

-- 
Daniel Carrera
Graduate Teaching Assistant.  Math Dept.
University of Maryland.  (301) 405-5137