Get the content of a file

[Dirk Einecke]

Hi.

I've a method to read the content of a file.

def readFile(path)
value = ''
file = File.open(path, File::RDONLY)
while line = file.gets do
value += line
end
file.close
return value
end

I think the way line by line is not very efficiently.
Is there a shorter way to get the content of a file?

greetings
Dirk Einecke

 

[Andreas Schwarz]

Is there a shorter way to get the content of a file?

File.read(filename)

 

[ts]

D> Is there a shorter way to get the content of a file?


svg% ri IO::read
--------------------------------------------------------------- IO::read
IO.read(rane, [length [, offset]] ) => string
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opens the file, optionally seeks to the given offset, then returns
_length_ bytes (defaulting to the rest of the file). +read+ ensures
the file is closed before returning.

IO.read("testfile") #=> "This is line one\nThis is line two\
nThis is line three\nAnd so on...\n"
IO.read("testfile", 20) #=> "This is line one\nThi"
IO.read("testfile", 20, 10) #=> "ne one\nThis is line "

svg%



Guy Decoux

 

[Gully Foyle]

Hi.

I've a method to read the content of a file.

def readFile(path)
value = ''
file = File.open(path, File::RDONLY)
while line = file.gets do
value += line
end
file.close
return value
end

I think the way line by line is not very efficiently.
Is there a shorter way to get the content of a file?

greetings
Dirk Einecke

Simple way is:

content = File.read(filename)

But if you should learn about blocks so the code you provided can be
replaced with something like the following (because your code doesn't
have exception handling to guarantee that file.close is called):

File.open(path, File::RDONLY){|file|
#use file.gets or whatever in here, preferably using another block
}

 

[Dirk Einecke]

Hi.

File.read(filename)

That's not working and I can not find read() here:
http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ref_c_file.html

I'm using Ruby 1.6.7

greetings
Dirk Einecke

 

[Matthew Margolis]

Hi.




That's not working and I can not find read() here:
http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ref_c_file.html

I'm using Ruby 1.6.7

greetings
Dirk Einecke

Look here http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ref_c_io.html#read . You are
dealing with an IO object (the file) so you can use the IO methods.

You can do something like
aFile = File.new("#{textfilename}", "r")
contentsoffile = aFile.read

-Matthew Margolis

 

[Kent Sibilev]

I use the following idiom to read the whole file:

data = open(path) {|f| f.read}

Cheers,
Kent.

 

[Michael Neumann]

Hi.




That's not working and I can not find read() here:
http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ref_c_file.html

I'm using Ruby 1.6.7

What I did in Ruby < 1.8 is the following:

File.readlines(filename).to_s

or instead of to_s, join("")

Regards,

Michael

 

[Dirk Einecke]

Hi.

Well - thanks to all. Now I've several ways:

1.
value = open(path) {|f| f.read}

2.
file = File.open(path, File::RDONLY)
value = file.read
file.close

3.
value = File.readlines(path).to_s

4.
value = File.readlines(path).join

What is the fastes way (for Ruby) and what should I use?

greetings
Dirk Einecke

 

[Mikael Brockman]

Hi.

Well - thanks to all. Now I've several ways:

1.
value = open(path) {|f| f.read}

2.
file = File.open(path, File::RDONLY)
value = file.read
file.close

3.
value = File.readlines(path).to_s

4.
value = File.readlines(path).join

What is the fastes way (for Ruby) and what should I use?

greetings
Dirk Einecke

In my opinion, number one is the best. The latter two only make sense
for line-based formats, and even in such cases it's easier to just read
it all in at once. Number two, I assume, is just like number one,
except you have to close it up yourself, which is annoying.

mikael

 

[Michael Neumann]

Hi.

Well - thanks to all. Now I've several ways:

1.
value = open(path) {|f| f.read}

2.
file = File.open(path, File::RDONLY)
value = file.read
file.close

2b.

value = File.open(path) {|f| f.read}

3.
value = File.readlines(path).to_s

4.
value = File.readlines(path).join

What is the fastes way (for Ruby) and what should I use?

1. and 2. should be the fastest!


Regards,

Michael

 

[Dirk Einecke]

Hi.

value = File.open(path) {|f| f.read}

Okay - I take this one.

greetings
Dirk Einecke

 

[CT]

What about,
value = File.read(path)

Hi.



Okay - I take this one.

greetings
Dirk Einecke