Ruby File Reading

Introduction to File Reading in Ruby

File reading is a fundamental part of file I/O operations in Ruby, allowing you to access and manipulate the contents of files. In this guide, we'll explore how to read files using Ruby's File.read method, along with best practices for error handling.

Using File.read to Read Files

The File.read method is the simplest way to read the entire content of a file into a string. This method takes the file path as its primary argument and returns the file's content.

Handling Errors When Reading Files

When working with file operations, errors can occur if the file does not exist or if the program lacks the necessary permissions. It is essential to handle these exceptions gracefully using begin-rescue blocks in Ruby.

Reading Files Line by Line

If you need to process a file line by line, you can use the File.foreach method. This method is more memory efficient for large files, as it reads the file one line at a time instead of loading the entire file into memory.

Conclusion

Reading files in Ruby is straightforward with the File.read and File.foreach methods. Remember to incorporate error handling to make your file operations robust and reliable. In the next post, we'll dive into file writing in Ruby.