# Different results with File.exists? **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [8 September 2009 11:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295 "2009-09-08T11:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mehdi\_Karamnejad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mehdi\_Karamnejad](https://rubytalk.org/u/Mehdi_Karamnejad)\ **Post date:** [8 September 2009 11:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/1 "2009-09-08T11:30:14Z")
when I use a string constant with File.exists? like the following ,it works fine: File.exists?("/home/sepehr") but when I get the string from user: path=gets if File.exists?(path) then > **···** > > ---- > ---- > end > it doesn't work! what's wrong with the string which is typed by the > user? > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![David\_A\_Black1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@David\_A\_Black1](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_A_Black1)\ **Post date:** [8 September 2009 11:46 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/2 "2009-09-08T11:46:39Z")
Hi -- > **···** > > On Tue, 8 Sep 2009, Mehdi Karamnejad wrote: > > > when I use a string constant with File.exists? like the following ,it > > works fine: > > File.exists?("/home/sepehr") > > but when I get the string from user: > > path=gets > > if File.exists?(path) then > > ---- > > end > > it doesn't work! what's wrong with the string which is typed by the > > user? > > It ends with a newline. Try path.chomp. > > David > > -- > David A. Black / Ruby Power and Light, LLC / [http://www.rubypal.com](http://www.rubypal.com) > Ruby/Rails training, mentoring, consulting, code-review > Latest book: The Well-Grounded Rubyist ([http://www.manning.com/black2\](http://www.manning.com/black2%5C)) > > September Ruby training in NJ has been POSTPONED. Details to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Mehdi\_Karamnejad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mehdi\_Karamnejad](https://rubytalk.org/u/Mehdi_Karamnejad)\ **Post date:** [8 September 2009 11:51 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/3 "2009-09-08T11:51:01Z")
yeah,that was it! thanks 😉 > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Robert\_K1](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/rubytalk.org/robert_k1/32/1830_2.png) [@Robert\_K1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Robert_K1)\ **Post date:** [8 September 2009 12:59 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/4 "2009-09-08T12:59:32Z")
Additional hint: use p to debug output what you have. e.g. path=gets p path if File.exists?(path) then Cheers robert > **···** > > 2009/9/8 Mehdi Karamnejad \: > > > yeah,that was it! thanks 😉 > > -- > remember.guy do |as, often| as.you\_can - without end > [http://blog.rubybestpractices.com/](http://blog.rubybestpractices.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Marc\_Heiler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Marc\_Heiler](https://rubytalk.org/u/Marc_Heiler)\ **Post date:** [8 September 2009 14:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/5 "2009-09-08T14:30:29Z")
> Additional hint: use p to debug output Or use pp! With arrays and hashes pp beats p easily! :\> > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C). ---
**Author:** ![David\_A\_Black1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@David\_A\_Black1](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_A_Black1)\ **Post date:** [9 September 2009 10:47 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/6 "2009-09-09T10:47:23Z")
Hi -- > > yeah,that was it! thanks 😉 > > Additional hint: use p to debug output what you have. e.g. > > path=gets > p path > if File.exists?(path) then Meta-additional hint: in 1.9, p returns its argument(s), so if you have:    path = gets you can just change it to:    p path = gets which makes for slightly easier back-and-forth between the p version and the non-p version. David > **···** > > On Tue, 8 Sep 2009, Robert Klemme wrote: > > > 2009/9/8 Mehdi Karamnejad \: > > -- > David A. Black / Ruby Power and Light, LLC / [http://www.rubypal.com](http://www.rubypal.com) > Ruby/Rails training, mentoring, consulting, code-review > Latest book: The Well-Grounded Rubyist ([http://www.manning.com/black2\](http://www.manning.com/black2%5C)) > > September Ruby training in NJ has been POSTPONED. Details to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Robert\_K1](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/rubytalk.org/robert_k1/32/1830_2.png) [@Robert\_K1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Robert_K1)\ **Post date:** [9 September 2009 12:15 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/7 "2009-09-09T12:15:42Z")
David, did you rather mean "path = p gets"? Because "p path = gets" does work in pre 1.9 already. 🙂 Kind regards robert > **···** > > 2009/9/9 David A. Black \: > > > Hi -- > > > > On Tue, 8 Sep 2009, Robert Klemme wrote: > > > > > 2009/9/8 Mehdi Karamnejad \: > > > > > > > yeah,that was it! thanks 😉 > > > > > > Additional hint: use p to debug output what you have. e.g. > > > > > > path=gets > > > p path > > > if File.exists?(path) then > > > > Meta-additional hint: in 1.9, p returns its argument(s), so if you > > have: > > > > path = gets > > > > you can just change it to: > > > > p path = gets > > > > which makes for slightly easier back-and-forth between the p version > > and the non-p version. > > -- > remember.guy do |as, often| as.you\_can - without end > [http://blog.rubybestpractices.com/](http://blog.rubybestpractices.com/) ---
**Author:** ![David\_A\_Black1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@David\_A\_Black1](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_A_Black1)\ **Post date:** [9 September 2009 12:47 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/different-results-with-file-exists/55295/8 "2009-09-09T12:47:46Z")
Hi -- > > Hi -- > > > > > > yeah,that was it! thanks 😉 > > > > > > Additional hint: use p to debug output what you have. e.g. > > > > > > path=gets > > > p path > > > if File.exists?(path) then > > > > Meta-additional hint: in 1.9, p returns its argument(s), so if you > > have: > > > > path = gets > > > > you can just change it to: > > > > p path = gets > > > > which makes for slightly easier back-and-forth between the p version > > and the non-p version. > > David, did you rather mean "path = p gets"? Because "p path = gets" > does work in pre 1.9 already. 🙂 I didn't really mean path = p gets -- I was thinking in general of the idiom of:    p x instead of    p x    x but chose a bad example 🙂 David > **···** > > On Wed, 9 Sep 2009, Robert Klemme wrote: > > > 2009/9/9 David A. Black \: > > > > > On Tue, 8 Sep 2009, Robert Klemme wrote: > > > > > > > 2009/9/8 Mehdi Karamnejad \: > > -- > David A. Black / Ruby Power and Light, LLC / [http://www.rubypal.com](http://www.rubypal.com) > Ruby/Rails training, mentoring, consulting, code-review > Latest book: The Well-Grounded Rubyist ([http://www.manning.com/black2\](http://www.manning.com/black2%5C)) > > September Ruby training in NJ has been POSTPONED. Details to follow.