# Crazy string issues

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/crazy-string-issues/167282>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 6, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/crazy-string-issues/167282 "2009-05-06T12:11:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/philswenson)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/crazy-string-issues/167282/1 "2009-05-06T12:11:22Z")

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I can’t believe I am having to stoop to asking such a stupid  
question!

I want a string that I am sending out to launch a process on windows.  
The string has to look like this:

myapp --actx="\.\DISPLAY3"

I cannot figure out how to get this into a string variable in ruby!

> display = “\.\DISPLAY3”  
> =\> “\.DISPLAY3”
> 
> > display.inspect  
> > =\> “”\\.DISPLAY3""

> > display = “\.\DISPLAY3”  
> > =\> “\.\DISPLAY3”
> 
> > display.inspect  
> > =\> “”\\.\\DISPLAY3""

How can I get a single slash into a string?

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**Author:** ![philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/philswenson)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/crazy-string-issues/167282/2 "2009-05-06T13:31:48Z")

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Hi Phil,

On 6 May 2009, at 11:10, phil wrote:

> I cannot figure out how to get this into a string variable in ruby!

display = “\\.\DISPLAY3”

puts display

–\> \.\DISPLAY3

I think the reason you were having problems is that irb shows the  
string complete with  
escaping characters. You need to output the string to see what it  
actually contains.

Regards,

Tony.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/philswenson)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/crazy-string-issues/167282/3 "2009-05-06T13:39:25Z")

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“inspect” shows the string with escaped characters…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@philswenson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/philswenson)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/crazy-string-issues/167282/4 "2009-05-06T14:05:51Z")

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Thanks guys!