I've heard =+ is the same as a = a + b, and += is like "add a to b and return a" or something of that sort, but it's really confusing me how similar the two are. Could someone could explain the difference to me?
What's the difference between += and =+ in ruby?
This question is non-sensical, since there is no such thing as =+ in Ruby. It doesn't make sense to ask about the difference between two things when one of those two things doesn't exist.
The only sensible difference between += and =+ in Ruby is that += exists and =+ doesn't.
There is no operator like =+ in ruby. If you are doing a =+ 1 when the value of a is 1. it always returns 1. but, if you are doing a += 1 it will return 2. you can't increment/decrement with =+.
Related
I'm practicing the While Loop in Ruby and got a basic example as below
i = 3
while i > 0 do
print i
i -= 1
end
My question is why I can't interchange do..end with {} as if I rewrite the above code as below it doesn't work anymore
i = 3
while i > 0 {
print i
i -= 1
}
However, it seems to work without the first "do"
i = 3
while i > 0
print i
i -= 1
end
Could anyone explain the rule or redirect me to the right resource? Thx!
As you said do is optional for while loop. While keyword is enough to define a block which is finished with end like any other block in ruby. In addition, end is mandatory for while block.
If you want to use while on just one line you can do such as below:
i = 0
i += 1 while i < 10
While mandatory needs end in Ruby.
Syntax example
do is optional and can be omitted.
So, it is not the case where pair do - end can be replaced with {}
I am trying to write a small program that goes through an array's values outputting each individual value. When it reaches 15 it stops and outputs "too big".
Why is my logic below wrong, it makes sense to me..
x = [10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]
def counting
for x[y]
while y < 15
puts y
else
puts "too big"
end
puts counting
I'm just learning sorry if this is a really simple solution.
That's nothing at all like Ruby syntax. You want a .each and a simple if statement:
x.each do |y|
if y < 15
puts y
else
puts "too big"
break
end
end
It appears though you are trying to use Ruby like you would a c-style programming language. It's possible and viable, albeit not recommended.
Code Blocks
Ruby has structure known as code blocks. Code blocks are sort of like anonymous functions.
You can read more about code blocks here.
x = [10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]
# This is a code block.
x.each do |y| # The y between the '|'s is the parameter caught by the code block
if y < 15
puts y
else
puts "Too big."
break # Break out of the loop
end
end
If you want a one liner:
x.each {|y| y < 15 ? puts(y) : puts("too big") || break }
If you insist using while, it can be done as following:
i = 0
while i do
x[i] < 15 ? puts(x[i]) : puts("too big") || break
i+=1
end
I think the cleanest way to do this using while would be:
def counting(x)
i = 0
while x[i] < 15
puts x[i]
i += 1
end
puts 'too big'
end
counting([10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18])
Why is my logic below wrong, it makes sense to me..
Given that you program isn't even syntactically legal, it's impossible to tell what its semantics would be if it were syntactically legal, let alone why those semantics were wrong. However, here's an idiomatic Ruby solution (you will almost never use nor see while in any Ruby code, and you will certainly never see for):
puts x.take_while {|n| n < 15 }
puts 'too big'
I prefer writing in point-free style, however in this case the only way to do that is to make use of the symmetry of the condition and invert the order of operands, which will lead to awkward logic:
x.take_while(&15.method(:>))
Ao, in this case I would rather avoid point-free style, because it no longer matches the original specification literally. Instead of "take all numbers less than 15", we now have "take all numbers such that 15 is greater than those numbers", which reads awkward.
Can Anyone point Me in the direction of how to tell when, for example, the + operator is used in ruby as opposed to the += operator from the inside of the + operator's definition? To illustrate:
class A
def +(b)
if is_theCallActuallyACompoundAssignment?
compoundAssignment = true
else
compoundAssignment = false
end
doOtherStuff
end
end
Is there a Kernel method, perhaps?
This code:
a += 5
Gets translated to this:
a = a + 5
Your + method will not know that you received a compound assignment.
Within a method, I am using i and j as temporary variables while calculating other variables. What is an idiomatic way of getting rid of i and j once they are no longer needed? Should I use blocks for this purpose?
i = positions.first
while nucleotide_at_position(i-1) == nucleotide_at_position(i)
raise "Assumption violated" if i == 1
i -= 1
end
first_nucleotide_position = i
j = positions.last
while nucleotide_at_position(j+1) == nucleotide_at_position(j)
raise "Assumption violated" if j == sequence.length
j += 1
end
last_nucleotide_position = j
Background: I'd like to get rid of i and j once they are no longer needed so that they aren't used by any other code in the method. Gives my code less opportunity to be wrong. I don't know the name of the concept - is it "encapsulation"? The closest concepts I can think of are (warning: links to TV Tropes - do not visit while working) Chekhov'sGun or YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.
Another alternative would be to put the code into their own methods, but that may detract from readability.
What makes you think splitting the code up into multiple methods will hurt the readability? In my experience, splitting even small or medium sized pieces of code into multiple methods can greatly improve readability.
Ruby (like JS) doesn't create a new scope for each block by default (as C++, etc. do). However, in Ruby 1.9, you can try:
last_nucleotide_position = nil
proc { |;i, j|
i = positions.first
while nucleotide_at_position(i-1) == nucleotide_at_position(i)
raise "Assumption violated" if i == 1
i -= 1
end
first_nucleotide_position = i
j = positions.last
while nucleotide_at_position(j+1) == nucleotide_at_position(j)
raise "Assumption violated" if j == sequence.length
j += 1
end
last_nucleotide_position = j
}.call()
See How to make block local variables the default in ruby 1.9?. Any variables that you want to be used outside the block should be defined before-hand (like last_nucleotide_position).
FM is right that a separate method may be more readable.
I think the term you are looking for is variable scope -- in other words, you are looking for ways to confine the scope of i and j. But you don't need to worry about that. The problem at hand calls for creating separate methods -- regardless of scope considerations.
This will improve readability, because it will allow the reader to grok the code starting at the high level and then boring in deeper only as needed. It will also improve testability because your small methods will do exactly one thing.
def calc_first_nucleotide_position(po)
i = po.first
while nucleotide_at_position(i-1) == nucleotide_at_position(i)
raise "Assumption violated" if i == 1
i -= 1
end
i
end
# etc...
first_nucleotide_position = calc_first_nucleotide_position(positions)
last_nucleotide_position = calc_last_nucleotide_position(positions)
# etc...
You are looking for the Ruby equivalent of Lisp's let special operator. Ruby does not support it out of the box but you can hack it in very easily, and the resulting syntax is like this:
x = 10
scope { |x|
x = 30
}
puts x #=> 10
see: http://banisterfiend.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/controlling-object-scope-in-ruby-1-9/
If all you want is to keep new variables from spilling out into the rest of your program, you can wrap your code in a block using 1.times. Any new variables you create inside the block will be destroyed when you close the block. Just keep in mind that any changes you make to pre-existing variables will remain once the block closes.
y = 20
1.times do
# put your code in here
i = 1
puts x = y # => 20, because y is available from outside the block
y = 'new value' # We can change the value of y but our changes will
# propagate to outside the block since y was defined before we opened
# the block.
end
defined? i # => nil, i is lost when you close the block
defined? x # => nil, x is also local to the block
puts y # => 'new value'
I find the .each do hard to get to stick, so I was hoping for regular use of C for loop syntax which seems to not work, so I tried a while but still get errors.
I have tried this.
i = 0
while i < SampleCount
samples[i] = amplitude
amplitude *= -1
i++
end
I get complaints about the end statement here.
There are several problems with your code. Rather than just fixing the errors, I'd suggest it's better long-term for you to learn the Ruby way - it will save you time and energy later. In this case, it's
5.times do |i|
samples[i] = amplitude # assumes samples already exists and has 5 entries.
amplitude *= -1
end
If you insist on keeping a similar style, you can do this:
samples = []
i = 0
while i < sample_count
samples << amplitude # add new item to array.
amplitude *= -1
i += 1 # you can't use ++.
end
Note that SampleCount's initial capital letter, by Ruby convention, means a constant, which I'm guessing isn't what you really mean.
I agree with Peter that there are other (more idiomatic) ways to do this in Ruby, but just to be clear: the error message you saw misdirected you. There wasn't anything wrong with your while loop per se. The problem was i++ since there is no ++ operator in Ruby.
This would work just fine:
limit = 10
i = 0
while i < limit
puts i
i += 1
end
Again, I'm not recommending it, but if you're just learning the language, it may help to know where the problem really was.
Ruby has a lot of built-in ways to iterate other than for or while (which tend to be seen less often, as far as I can tell). A few other examples:
(1..10).each do |x| # 1..10 is a range which you can iterate over with each
puts x
end
1.upto(10) { |x| puts x } # Integers have upto and downto methods that can be useful
You originally mentioned trying to use a for loop. Notwithstanding the various other comments in the answers, here's the for loop approach:
for i in 0...5
samples[i] = amplitude
amplitude *= -1
end
Nobody here has actually offered an alternate solution that actually does what Fred originally intended - and that's iterate around the value of the constant SampleCount. So could you do:
SampleCount.times do |i|
Or:
limit = SampleCount
limit.times do |i|
Or:
for i in 0..SampleCount
Would any of those be Ruby-esque enough?
The problem with the end statement is related to i++. Ruby wants to add something. There is no increment operator in Ruby. You need to use i += 1. With that change you can use your C style loop as is.