Output class of each element in array after getting user input, Ruby

Question

I have a little program accepting user input of multiple integers separated by whitespace, ex: 4 5 6 7

I then push this into an array and want to find the class of each element in the array, which I expect to be a string since I am using the gets command. I am using the .each iterator to do this, but in my code below when I puts output.class I get one output of array instead of four outputs of string.

Can someone point out what I am doing wrong here?

values = []

puts "enter segment values separated by spaces: "
entry = gets.split
values << entry


values.each do |output|
    puts output.class
end

Wand Maker · Accepted Answer · 2016-01-18 18:32:27Z

2

entry is an array, and hence, values array contains only one element which happens to be entry array.

To fix the issue, you can replace values << entry with:

values.push *entry

Explanation

Array#<< method pushes a single object into the array. In your case, you were pushing entry array, hence, it got pushed as single element.

If you want to push each individual element of entry array, then, use of splat operator (*) will allow us to convert an array into multiple arguments to a method. Unfortunately, << takes single argument, and will error out if we do:

values << *entry
#=> main.rb:5: syntax error, unexpected *
#    values << *entry
               ^

There is another method, Array#push, which can be passed variable number of objects and it will push each one into the array. So, final code will look like:

values.push *entry

edited Jan 18, 2016 at 18:32

answered Jan 18, 2016 at 18:13

Wand Maker

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5 Comments

sawa Over a year ago

Your suggestion is correct, but there is no need to change << into push at the same time. That is confusing.

Wand Maker Over a year ago

@sawa - It gives me an error (syntax error, unexpected *) when I do values << *entry, so I tried push

sawa Over a year ago

I see. But you better explain that.

Jbur43 Over a year ago

Thank you both for your help :)

sawa Over a year ago

Alternatively, you can do values.concat(entry).

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