Write to a ruby file using ruby - ruby

Question

Alright, so what I have is a ruby file that takes an input, and writes it to another ruby file. I do not want to write it as a text file, because I am trying to insert this item into a Hash that can later be accessed in another run of the program, which can only be achieved by writing the info to a text file or another ruby file. In this case I want to write it into another ruby file.Here's the first file:
test_text=gets.chomp
to_write_to=File.open("rubylib.rb", "a")
test_text="hobby => #{test_test},"
to_write_to.puts test_text
This inserts the given info at the BOTTOM of the page. The other file is this: (rubylib.rb)
user_info={
"name" => "bob",,
"favorite_color" => "red"
}
I have a threefold question:
1) Is it possible to add test_text to the hash BEFORE the closing bracket?
2) using this method, will the rubylib.rb file, when run, parse the added text as code, or something else?
3)is there a better way to do this?
What I am trying to do is actually physically write the new data to the Hash so that it is still there the next time the file is run, to store data about the user. Because if I add it the normal way, it will be lost the next time the file is run. Is there a way to store data between runs of a ruby file without writing to a text file?
I've done the best I can to give you the info you need and explain the situation as best I can. If you need clarification or more info, please leave a comment and I'll try and get back to you by commenting on that.
Thanks for the help

Answer 1

You should use YAML for this.
Here's how you could create a .yml file with the data you used in your example:
require "yaml"
user_info = { "name" => "bob", "favorite_color" => "red" }
File.write("user_info.yml", user_info.to_yaml)
This creates a file that looks like this:
---
name: bob
favorite_color: red
On a subsequent execution of your program, you can load the .yml file and you'll get back the same Hash that you started with:
user_info = YAML.load_file("user_info.yml")
# => { "name" => "bob", "favorite_color" => "red" }
And you can add new items to the Hash and save it again:
user_info["hobby"] = "fishing"
File.write("user_info.yml", user_info.to_yaml)
Now the file has these contents:
---
name: bob
favorite_color: red
hobby: fishing

Answer 2

Use a database, even SQLite, and it'll let you store data for multiple sessions without any sort of encoding. Writing to a file as you are is really not scalable or practical. You'll slam into some real problems quickly with it.
I'd recommend looking at Sequel and its associated documentation for how to easily work with databases. That's a much more scalable approach and will save you a lot of headaches as you grow your code.