Ruby blocks are fairly easy to pickup, use, and make work if you just follow the common examples. But at some point you might realize that you don’t really understand what is going on in the same way as you might with variable assignment or a method call. Let’s start with a basic definition of…

Grappling with the differences between Ruby blocks, procs, lambdas, and closures is confusing at first. To fresh eyes they looks kinda weird and complicated compared to other parts of Ruby which are more familiar. But once you get them down you realize how cool and useful they really are. We are here to walk you…

At first glace the choice between using a `Struct` or an `OpenStruct` is just preference. They are very similar and (mostly) behave the same way. Pretty similar, right? Actually there are some differences and these should inform your choice. The choice revolves around the specific characteristics of your data structure so lets look at those.…

Arrays have a couple methods to get the minimum and maximum. Three common ones are .min, .max, .minmax. .max will get you the maximum value. .min will get the minimum value. If you need both the minimum and the maximum from an array then the best solution is using the ruby method minmax. It will…

Binstubs, short for “binary stubs,” are small executable scripts that act as wrappers around Ruby executables or scripts. They are commonly used in Ruby projects managed with Bundler to provide a convenient way to execute commands without needing to prepend them with bundle exec. When you run `bundle install –binstubs` Bundler will create a bin…

If you just want to see how fast a bit of code is you can use the Benchmark module which is part of the Ruby Standard Library. If you want to compare two or more bits of Ruby code that do the same thing and see how fast they are against each other then you…

Reading nested if statements making you sad? Case statements can be the answer. Refactoring your if statements can clear up complicated code and make spotting bugs much easier. Nested if statements often lead to complex and hard-to-read code. They can grow over time as new conditions are added, making it difficult to maintain and debug.…

Intro If I am looking to maximize the performance of a Ruby app what should I be using? Hashes, Structs, OpenStruct, or Classes? New Ruby programmers love hashes. I love hashes. They are very flexible and tempting to add in everywhere. Even when refactoring a slow part of the system in Kafka microservices so that…

In Ruby, native extensions (also known as C extensions or native gems) allow you to write parts of your code in the C programming language, which can be linked and executed as part of a Ruby program. Native extensions are typically used for performance-critical tasks, interacting with low-level system libraries, or providing access to functionality…

Maintaining a clean and organized Gemfile is crucial for the long-term health and readability of your Rails application. As applications age, their Gemfiles can accumulate complexities and messiness. In this guide, we’ll explore some rules and best practices for crafting a clean, readable Gemfile that fosters maintainability. 1. Group Gems Effectively Divide your gems into…

Introduced in Ruby 2.0, keyword parameters provide a way to pass arguments to a method by explicitly specifying parameter names and their corresponding values. This feature proves valuable, especially in scenarios involving methods with numerous parameters, as it significantly enhances code readability and clarity. Example Usage: Definition: When defining a method, keyword parameters can be…

Arrays are ordered collections of objects. They can hold any type of Ruby object: numbers, strings, other arrays, hashes, classes and methods. Here is what a basic array looks like and is used for: Arrays are created by placing a list of objects between square brackets. Accessing arrays The data in these arrays can be…

Looping is one of the basic programming concepts that you will find in Ruby. It lets you to execute a block of code repeatedly. Ruby has a few ways to implement loops. First up: `.while`. The `.while` loop repeats a block of code over and over while the given condition remains true. When the condition…

Ruby ranges with either two or three periods are valid ranges. However, the 2 dot and 3 dot formats produce different ranges. The 3 dot ranges exclude the end value (eg. they are not inclusive). While the 2 dot ranges are inclusive (they include the highest number). Here is a simple example:

Constants store values that cannot be changed during execution. For example: In this example, `PI` is a constant representing the value of Pi. Once assigned, the value of `PI` remains the same throughout the execution of the program. This leads to code clarity and prevents an inadvertent alteration of the value of PI in another…

Strings are a core part of the Ruby language and are constantly used when programming in Ruby. They can be either single or double quoted: You can print out strings: Strings are commonly stored in a variable: Strings are concatenated like this: Ruby strings are commonly concatenated using the `+` operator. Ruby can also concatenate…

So, Ruby is well known for its hugely popular gem Rails which greatly simplifies building websites. But what are some other programs built-in Ruby? Here are a few very popular examples. RubyMotion – Develop native apps for iOS (both iPhone and iPad) and OS X in Ruby. It is based on MacRuby which was developed…

When it comes to naming a Ruby gem, the process involves a thoughtful consideration of community conventions, creativity, and uniqueness. In this context, let’s delve into the rationale behind naming my gem “tiedye.” Community Conventions Adhering to community conventions is a crucial first step in gem naming. The convention I followed involves using underscores in…