Require question

Hello to the ruby-talkers. It's my first week with ruby, I'm reading Why's
poingnant guide currently. I'm not a programmer, my only knowledge is a
little php I use to do web stuff and some actionScript cus I do some Flash.
I thought of learning to program and Ruby is what I've chosen (even though
Eric Raymond says to learn Python is what he thinks is best). Anyways I
don't care, Why's poignant guide is funny as hell, and that's it. I wanna be
a part of it.

Now my question is (I'm assuming) a very simple one:

I'm trying to use the 'require' Kernel method.

I save a file as 'my_string.rb' and it contains just this:

my_string = 'hello world'

On another ruby file saved as 'my_string_reader.rb' I write:

require 'my_string'

puts 'my_string'

I thought that would output my 'hello world', but I get "undefined local
variable or method 'my_string' for main:Object (NameError)

I'm using windows xp. But the same problem happened on Ubuntu Linux. Same
error. It's the only example from Why's poignant guide that gives me errors.
It's as if it's not reading the variables I've got stored in the required
file.

Thanks for your help.

···

--
-gaston

Unlike with php ruby does not simple include the sourcefile at the
point of the require, but it takes extra care not to clobber any local
variables. Require calls load and in the description of load this is
mentioned:

# ri Kernel#load
------------------------------------------------------------ Kernel#load
     load(filename, wrap=false) => true

···

On 18/08/05, Gaston Garcia <gaston.garcia@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello to the ruby-talkers. It's my first week with ruby, I'm reading Why's
poingnant guide currently. I'm not a programmer, my only knowledge is a
little php I use to do web stuff and some actionScript cus I do some Flash.
I thought of learning to program and Ruby is what I've chosen (even though
Eric Raymond says to learn Python is what he thinks is best). Anyways I
don't care, Why's poignant guide is funny as hell, and that's it. I wanna be
a part of it.

Now my question is (I'm assuming) a very simple one:

I'm trying to use the 'require' Kernel method.

I save a file as 'my_string.rb' and it contains just this:

my_string = 'hello world'

On another ruby file saved as 'my_string_reader.rb' I write:

require 'my_string'

puts 'my_string'

I thought that would output my 'hello world', but I get "undefined local
variable or method 'my_string' for main:Object (NameError)

I'm using windows xp. But the same problem happened on Ubuntu Linux. Same
error. It's the only example from Why's poignant guide that gives me errors.
It's as if it's not reading the variables I've got stored in the required
file.

Thanks for your help.

--
-gaston

------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Loads and executes the Ruby program in the file _filename_. If the
     filename does not resolve to an absolute path, the file is searched
     for in the library directories listed in +$:+. If the optional
     _wrap_ parameter is +true+, the loaded script will be executed
     under an anonymous module, protecting the calling program's global
-> namespace. In no circumstance will any local variables in the <-
-> loaded file be propagated to the loading environment. <-

If you want to include a constant value from a file that is possible:

--- r.rb ---
require 'r1'

puts A
--- ---

--- r2.rb ---
A = 12
--- ---

ruby r.rb
=> 12

regards,

Brian
--
http://ruby.brian-schroeder.de/

Stringed instrument chords: http://chordlist.brian-schroeder.de/

Gaston Garcia wrote:

On another ruby file saved as 'my_string_reader.rb' I write:

require 'my_string'
puts 'my_string'

I thought that would output my 'hello world', but I get "undefined local variable or method 'my_string' for main:Object (NameError)
  

Gaston, welcome to Rubydom. We've proven that we can be funny, but now you get to see how helpful we are.

This is an error in the book. You might want to read the newer version at...

  http://qa.poignantguide.net/

...for now. I'm working on a new design and the book has a bunch of fixes on that site.

In the new version, you'll notice I'm storing stuff in the CODE_WORDS constant rather than a code_words variable. Ordinary variables cannot be loaded through a `require'. But constants can.

That's all. Nothing more.

_why

Gaston Garcia wrote:

Now my question is (I'm assuming) a very simple one:

I'm trying to use the 'require' Kernel method.

I save a file as 'my_string.rb' and it contains just this:

my_string = 'hello world'

On another ruby file saved as 'my_string_reader.rb' I write:

require 'my_string'

puts 'my_string'

I thought that would output my 'hello world', but I get "undefined local
variable or method 'my_string' for main:Object (NameError)

That's because require doesn't import local variables from a file. They
stay local to the file they are in. If you make the variable a
constant, global or instance variable, then it will work.

Thanks Brian and Why. I see why it wasn't working.

And thanks for the new URL of the poignant guide.

-gaston.

···

On 8/18/05, why the lucky stiff <ruby-talk@whytheluckystiff.net> wrote:

Gaston Garcia wrote:
> On another ruby file saved as 'my_string_reader.rb' I write:
>
> require 'my_string'
> puts 'my_string'
>
> I thought that would output my 'hello world', but I get "undefined local
> variable or method 'my_string' for main:Object (NameError)
>
Gaston, welcome to Rubydom. We've proven that we can be funny, but now
you get to see how helpful we are.

This is an error in the book. You might want to read the newer version
at...

http://qa.poignantguide.net/

...for now. I'm working on a new design and the book has a bunch of
fixes on that site.

In the new version, you'll notice I'm storing stuff in the CODE_WORDS
constant rather than a code_words variable. Ordinary variables cannot
be loaded through a `require'. But constants can.

That's all. Nothing more.

_why

--
-gaston