# Line wrapping

**URL:** <https://rubytalk.org/t/line-wrapping/7582>\
**Category:** ruby-talk\
**Created:** [22 August 2003 23:20 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/line-wrapping/7582 "2003-08-22T23:20:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Warren\_Brown3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@Warren\_Brown3](https://rubytalk.org/u/Warren_Brown3)\
**Post date:** [22 August 2003 23:20 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/line-wrapping/7582/1 "2003-08-22T23:20:46Z")

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Andreas,

> I’m using the following function for line  
> wrapping (found it somewhere in the list  
> archive):
> 
> def wrap(s)  
> return s.gsub(/.{1,74}(?:\s|\Z)/){($& + 5.chr).  
> gsub(/\n\005/,“\n”).gsub(/\005/,“\n”)}  
> end
> 
> Any hints how I can change the function so  
> that it doesn’t touch lines with quoting  
> characters (“\>”, “|”) in the beginning?

```
First of all, note that this routine leaves trailing spaces before the

```

inserted newlines (“\n”) and also requires that the string _not_ contain any  
ASCII 5 characters (“\005”). Both of these can be (mostly) fixed by  
changing the routine to the much simpler:

def wrap(s)  
s.gsub(/(.{1,74})(\s+|\Z)/,“\1\n”)  
end

```
However if the string contains multiple adjacent spaces, they may not

```

all be removed. This can be remedied by appending a “.gsub(/ +\n/,‘’)” to  
the end of the existing gsub().

```
Also note that this method is complicated by the fact that it allows for

```

preexisting newlines in the string parameter. If your strings don’t already  
have newlines (and you still don’t want trailing spaces), you can rewrite  
the method to:

def wrap(s)  
s.gsub(/(.{1,74})(\s+|$)/,“\1\n”)  
end

```
All that being said, your question is a little ambiguous. The word

```

“lines” could refer to the method’s string parameter as a whole, or it could  
refer to individual substrings in that parameter separated by newlines. If  
you meant the former, any of these routines can be easily modified to ignore  
strings beginning with “\>” or “|” by adding one line:

def wrap(s)  
return s if s =~ /\[1\]/  
s.gsub(/(.{1,74})(\s+|$)/,“\1\n”)  
end

```
If you meant the latter, it's a little more complicated - you basically

```

need to split the strings into an array, word wrap all the single lines in  
the array, and then join them all back together:

def wrap(s)  
s.split(“\n”).map do |t|  
if t =~ /\[2\]/  
t + “\n”  
else  
t.gsub(/(.{1,74})(\s+|$)/,“\1\n”)  
end  
end.join(‘’)  
end

```
I hope this helps!

- Warren Brown

```

* * *

1. \>| 

2. \>|

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rudolf\_Polzer2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea5d25/32.png) [@Rudolf\_Polzer2](https://rubytalk.org/u/Rudolf_Polzer2)\
**Post date:** [22 August 2003 23:59 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/line-wrapping/7582/2 "2003-08-22T23:59:07Z")

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Scripsit ille aut illa »Warren Brown« [wkb@airmail.net](mailto:wkb@airmail.net):

> def wrap(s)  
> s.gsub(/(.{1,74})(\s+|\Z)/,“\1\n”)  
> end
> 
> ```
> However if the string contains multiple adjacent spaces, they may not
> 
> ```
> 
> all be removed. This can be remedied by appending a “.gsub(/ +\n/,‘’)” to  
> the end of the existing gsub().

Why not just

s.gsub(/(.{0,73}\S)(\s+|\Z)/,“\1\n”)

(untested)

> **···**
>
> –  
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