Write Ruby Output to a File

Question

I have a script that combs through a particular folder and finds all of the documents that have been modified today:

Dir.glob("/path/to/folder/*/*.txt") do |file|
    f = File.open(file.strip)
    lines = f.readlines
    mod = f.mtime
    modtime = f.mtime.strftime("%I:%M%p")
    text = lines.join
    wordcount = text.split.length
    project = File.basename(file).gsub(/.txt/, ' ').strip
    if mod > (Time.now - 86400)
        found_completed = true
        entry = "#{modtime} - #{project} - #{wordcount}"
    end
    if found_completed == false
    puts "not today"
    end
    if found_completed == true
    puts "worked on #{entry}"
    end
end

That all works fine. However, I also went to write that multi-line output to a file. When I add this to the end of the script (before the final 'end') it comes up blank:

open('/path/to/newfile.txt', 'w') { |f|
  f.puts ("#{entry}" + "/n/n") }

Any help would be appreciated.

Малъ Скрылевъ · Accepted Answer · 2013-12-18 04:04:42Z

1

Just change variable name f to ff, and do:

entry = nil
if mod > (Time.now - 86400)
   found_completed = true
   entry = "#{modtime} - #{project} - #{wordcount}"
end
open('/path/to/newfile.txt', 'a+') {|ff| ff.puts entry }

or:

if mod > (Time.now - 86400)
   found_completed = true
   entry = "#{modtime} - #{project} - #{wordcount}"
   open('/path/to/newfile.txt', 'a+') {|ff| ff.puts entry }
end

To open file for write/read operations, and then to use it, do:

fstore = open '/path/to/newfile.txt', 'a+'
...
fstore.puts entry
...
fstore.close

edited Dec 18, 2013 at 4:04

answered Dec 17, 2013 at 5:03

Малъ Скрылевъ

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5 Comments

craigeley Over a year ago

This seems really close. However, if I use suggestion 2, I only the get the last entry if there are multiple positives in the glob search. On suggestion 1, I'm still getting a blank output for #{entry}.

craigeley Over a year ago

I think DGM's answer has something to do with this as well. Changed mode to a+, however now I am getting blank lines for files that don't match the "if" criteria. Is there a way to end the glob loop and still pass #{entrytext}? Or eliminate the blank lines?

Малъ Скрылевъ Over a year ago

"#{entry}\n\n" this do a single blank line, do you need them?

craigeley Over a year ago

I would just like to skip a line between actual entries

DGM Over a year ago

I still don't like opening the file every time through the loop, that's a horrible way do this.

DGM · Accepted Answer · 2013-12-28 03:23:03Z

1

You are opening the file every time through the glob loop, overwriting the file, and the last file processed yields a blank entry?

You probably want to surround the glob with the file opening, so it only gets opened once, putting the f.puts line where it is now.

edit

This is a little more idiomatic ruby... break it up into a class, keep the parts small and isolated in meaning, give it intention revealing function names. I'm sure there's more to be done, but I think this makes it easier to read.

class FileInfo
  def initialize(file)
    @file = File.open(file)
  end

  def wordcount
    @file.read.scan(/\w/).size
  end

  def mtime
    @file.mtime
  end

  def formatted_mtime
    @file.mtime.strftime("%I:%M%p")
  end

  def project
    File.basename(@file.path).gsub(/.txt/, ' ').strip
  end

  def recent?
    @file.mtime > (Time.now - 86400)
  end
end

open('logfile.txt', 'w')  do |log|
  Dir.glob("/path/to/folder/*/*.txt") do |file|
    fi = FileInfo.new(file)
    if fi.recent?
      log.puts "worked on #{fi.formatted_mtime} - #{fi.project} - #{fi.wordcount}"
    else
      log.puts "not today"
    end
  end
end

edited Dec 28, 2013 at 3:23

answered Dec 17, 2013 at 3:45

DGM

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2 Comments

craigeley Over a year ago

Good suggestion. But now that yields an error: "in `write': closed stream (IOError)"

DGM Over a year ago

did you surround the whole loop?

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