Ruby has a wide variety of string handling methods, and a very strong regular expression engine. In one of the example I wrote today ([link] Regular Expression Example in Ruby) I've included a primer on the elements of a Ruby Regular expression as well as sample source code - showing you how you can match things like email addresses and postcode, and how you can extract the information from different parts of the matches too.

Other new Ruby string handling examples:

[link] Using a string as a collection

[link] Formatted printing in Ruby - printf sprintf and %

[link] Running a piped command via backquotes
(written 2009-07-16)

 R109 - Ruby - Strings and Regular Expressions
  [4549] Clarrissa-Marybelle - too long to really fit? - (2015-10-23)
  [4505] Regular Expressions for the petrified - in Ruby - (2015-06-03)
  [4388] Global Regular Expression matching in Ruby (using scan) - (2015-01-08)
  [3758] Ruby - standard operators are overloaded. Perl - they are not - (2012-06-09)
  [3757] Ruby - a teaching example showing many of the language features in short but useful program - (2012-06-09)
  [3621] Matching regular expressions, and substitutions, in Ruby - (2012-02-23)
  [3424] Divide 10000 by 17. Do you get 588.235294117647, 588.24 or 588? - Ruby and PHP - (2011-09-08)
  [2980] Ruby - examples of regular expressions, inheritance and polymorphism - (2010-10-02)
  [2623] Object Oriented Ruby - new examples - (2010-02-03)
  [2621] Ruby collections and strings - some new examples - (2010-02-03)
  [2614] Neatly formatting results into a table - (2010-02-01)
  [2608] Search and replace in Ruby - Ruby Regular Expressions - (2010-01-31)
  [2295] The dog is not in trouble - (2009-07-17)
  [1891] Ruby to access web services - (2008-11-16)
  [1887] Ruby Programming Course - Saturday and Sunday - (2008-11-16)
  [1875] What are exceptions - Python based answer - (2008-11-08)
  [1588] String interpretation in Ruby - (2008-03-21)
  [1305] Regular expressions made easy - building from components - (2007-08-16)
  [1195] Regular Express Primer - (2007-05-20)
  [987] Ruby v Perl - interpollating variables - (2006-12-15)
  [986] puts - opposite of chomp in Ruby - (2006-12-15)
  [970] String duplication - x in Perl, * in Python and Ruby - (2006-12-07)

Back to Object Orientation in Ruby - intermediate examples

Previous and next or Horse's mouth home

Forward to Can you learn to program in 4 days?

Standing on the corner, Melksham Carnival
Variable scope - what is it, and how does it Ruby?
Can you learn to program in 4 days?
Regular Expressions in Ruby
Object Orientation in Ruby - intermediate examples
Collection objects (array and hash) in Ruby
Opening and reading files - the ruby fundamentals
pre-Inaugural briefing - Melksham Community Area Partnership
Wiltshire Community Area Partnerships