# Accessing variables of instances in an array?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-variables-of-instances-in-an-array/195769>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [September 29, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-variables-of-instances-in-an-array/195769 "2010-09-29T21:45:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/prichard)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-variables-of-instances-in-an-array/195769/1 "2010-09-29T21:45:56Z")

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Hi. I want to have an array of instances…

listb = [instance1, instance2, instance3]

I am able to print out the instance…

def printout(an\_array)  
an\_array.each {|item| p item }  
end  
printout(listb)

How can I print out specific variables for each instance?

eg variables…

name  
age

---

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**Author:** ![prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/prichard)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-variables-of-instances-in-an-array/195769/2 "2010-09-29T21:54:31Z")

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On 9/29/2010 2:45 PM, Paul R. wrote:

> How can I print out specific variables for each instance?
> 
> eg variables…
> 
> name  
> age

an\_arry.each { |item| puts “#{item.name} #{item.age}” }

-Jeremy

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/prichard)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-variables-of-instances-in-an-array/195769/3 "2010-09-29T22:15:01Z")

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Jeremy B. wrote:

> On 9/29/2010 2:45 PM, Paul R. wrote:
> 
> > How can I print out specific variables for each instance?
> > 
> > eg variables…
> > 
> > name  
> > age
> 
> an\_arry.each { |item| puts “#{item.name} #{item.age}” }
> 
> -Jeremy

Thanks Jeremy, that does the job. By the way is ‘item’ a keyword?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@prichard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/prichard)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/accessing-variables-of-instances-in-an-array/195769/4 "2010-09-29T22:20:17Z")

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On 9/29/2010 3:15 PM, Paul R. wrote:

> > > age
> > 
> > an\_arry.each { |item| puts “#{item.name} #{item.age}” }
> > 
> > -Jeremy
> 
> Thanks Jeremy, that does the job. By the way is ‘item’ a keyword?

No, item is not a keyword. You can replace that with any valid variable  
name. When you start using other methods that take blocks, you’ll find  
that you can use more than one variable within the | … | as well.  
Some blocks even take an empty list.

-Jeremy