Printing 2 dimensionl hash problem

ruby-talk
1

Hi,

busy with my script, I am trying to print my hash, which is built up as follows:

hash:

key = A, value = [1,2,3]
key = B, value = [4,5,6]

etc.

I try this:

@h.each do |key,value|
      print key, " is ", value.each {|x| print x, " -- " }, "\n"

The print is strange, becuase it looks like this now:

1 -- 2 -- 3 -- A is 123
4 -- 5 -- 6 -- B is 456

I don't understand why. If I interpreted this correctly, I've got the
following two questions:

1. How come the code block is executed first
2. After that the key and value is printed, however, I don't see the
print for the values here (except for the print in de the code block,
which was executed already).

Krekna

3

Hi,

busy with my script, I am trying to print my hash, which is built up as
follows:

hash:

key = A, value = [1,2,3]
key = B, value = [4,5,6]

etc.

I try this:

@h.each do |key,value|
      print key, " is ", value.each {|x| print x, " -- " }, "\n"

The print is strange, becuase it looks like this now:

1 -- 2 -- 3 -- A is 123
4 -- 5 -- 6 -- B is 456

I don't understand why. If I interpreted this correctly, I've got the
following two questions:

1. How come the code block is executed first
2. After that the key and value is printed, however, I don't see the
print for the values here (except for the print in de the code block,
which was executed already).

:slight_smile: I think what you want to actually do is:

@h.each do |key,value|
  print key, " is ", value.join(' -- '), "\n"
end

or

@h.each do |key,value|
  puts key, " is ", value.join(' -- ')
end

To hopefully answer your questions:

You have asked Ruby to print out the return value of value.each{...},
which is simply value:

[1,2,3] == [1,2,3].each {|n| do_something_with_n_if_you_like(n)}

So that explains the 123 at the end of the line, because [1,2,3].to_s is
"123"

Why the "1 -- 2 -- 3" before everything else though? Well, _before_ Ruby
can execute that first "print", it must _first_ evaluate what is being
printed, just as if you had writen "print 1+2+3". In calculating that,
Ruby calls values.each {...}, and this prints out the "1 -- 2 -- 3" at
the start of the line.

Hope that helps.

4

From: Krekna Mektek [mailto:krekna@gmail.com] :
#----------------------------------------------------------
# @h.each do |key,value|
# print key, " is ", value.each {|x| print x, " -- " }, "\n"
#
# The print is strange, becuase it looks like this now:
#
# 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- A is 123
# 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- B is 456
#
# 1. How come the code block is executed first
#----------------------------------------------------------

print expects to print a value of the expression (of course). so before prints does the writing, it has to get the value first.

#----------------------------------------------------------
# 2. After that the key and value is printed, however, I don't see the
print for the values here (except for the print in de the code block,
which was executed already).
#----------------------------------------------------------

"value.each {...} " is an expression that returns a value, in this case the array "value". that expression however will perform *first a {|x| print x, "---"} for every element x in array "value".

Thank you for your explanation!

I see now, that value.each is an argument to the print, which is not
what I need indeed, because like you said value.each with its code
block is already printing the values, so that's why they are printed
twice.

So, I've put the value.each on a separate line like in your example now.
Thus, the value.each expression is returned first, apparently the
arguments are parse before the (first) print is executed.

Same as this:
irb(main):012:0> print "I", " am ", "#{print "first "}"
first I am => nil

Krekna

···

2007/1/18, Peña, Botp <botp@delmonte-phil.com>:

eg,

C:\temp\rubygems-0.9.1>cat test.rb

h = {"A" => [1,2,3], "B" =>[4,5,6]}

puts "sample 1"
h.each do |key,value|
  print key, " is "
  value.each {|x| print x, " -- " }
  print "\n"
end
puts
puts "sample 2"
h.each do |key,value|
  puts "#{key} is #{value.join(' -- ')}"
end

C:\temp\rubygems-0.9.1>ruby test.rb
sample 1
A is 1 -- 2 -- 3 --
B is 4 -- 5 -- 6 --

sample 2
A is 1 -- 2 -- 3
B is 4 -- 5 -- 6

hth.
kind regards -botp

5

Thank you very much, my answer was posted before I read this.
I think it's clear to me now.
That's the best way, learning by doing and talking about it what
actually happens when something went wrong.

Thank you too.

Krekna

···

2007/1/18, benjohn@fysh.org <benjohn@fysh.org>:

> Hi,
>
> busy with my script, I am trying to print my hash, which is built up as
> follows:
>
> hash:
>
> key = A, value = [1,2,3]
> key = B, value = [4,5,6]
>
> etc.
>
> I try this:
>
> @h.each do |key,value|
> print key, " is ", value.each {|x| print x, " -- " }, "\n"
>
> The print is strange, becuase it looks like this now:
>
> 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- A is 123
> 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- B is 456
>
> I don't understand why. If I interpreted this correctly, I've got the
> following two questions:
>
> 1. How come the code block is executed first
> 2. After that the key and value is printed, however, I don't see the
> print for the values here (except for the print in de the code block,
> which was executed already).

:slight_smile: I think what you want to actually do is:

@h.each do |key,value|
print key, " is ", value.join(' -- '), "\n"
end

or

@h.each do |key,value|
puts key, " is ", value.join(' -- ')
end

To hopefully answer your questions:

You have asked Ruby to print out the return value of value.each{...},
which is simply value:

[1,2,3] == [1,2,3].each {|n| do_something_with_n_if_you_like(n)}

So that explains the 123 at the end of the line, because [1,2,3].to_s is
"123"

Why the "1 -- 2 -- 3" before everything else though? Well, _before_ Ruby
can execute that first "print", it must _first_ evaluate what is being
printed, just as if you had writen "print 1+2+3". In calculating that,
Ruby calls values.each {...}, and this prints out the "1 -- 2 -- 3" at
the start of the line.

Hope that helps.