# Different behavior of '$,' output separator in Ruby 1.9 **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [March 5, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649 "2010-03-05T20:04:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/1 "2010-03-05T20:04:14Z")
In switching to Ruby 1.9 from 1.8 I notice that the behavior of the ‘$,’ output separator has changed. In Ruby 1.9 the output separator is placed after a newline character, but this didn’t happen with Ruby 1.8. Using the following code: * * * $, = ', ’ data = [[‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’], [‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’], [‘x’, ‘y’, ‘z’]] file\_out = File.new(“test.csv”, “w”) data.each do |elem| file\_out.print elem[0], elem[1], elem[2], “\n” end ## file\_out.close and running with Ruby 1.8 produces a file that contains a, b, c, 1, 2, 3, x, y, z, but with Ruby 1.9 the contents of the file look like a, b, c, , 1, 2, 3, , x, y, z, , Is this an intentional change of behavior? –Alex ---
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/2 "2010-03-05T20:47:20Z")
On 3/5/10, Alex DeCaria [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > In switching to Ruby 1.9 from 1.8 I notice that the behavior of the ‘$,’ > output separator has changed. In Ruby 1.9 the output separator is > placed after a newline character, but this didn’t happen with Ruby 1.8. That doesn’t seem right. ---
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/3 "2010-03-05T20:56:27Z")
Alex, ## If you make a few minor modifications: $, = ', ’ $\ = “\n” ### output record separator ### data = [[‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’], [‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’], [‘x’, ‘y’, ‘z’]] file\_out = File.new(“test.csv”, “w”) data.each do |elem| file\_out.print elem[0], elem[1], elem[2] ### no newline FIELD ### end ## file\_out.close then you will get what you want in Ruby 1.9. a, b, c, 1, 2, 3, x, y, z, I have not tried it in Ruby 1.8. Looks like it is adding the output field separator AFTER the newline FIELD. ---
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/4 "2010-03-06T15:34:34Z")
On 03/05/2010 08:46 PM, Caleb C. wrote: > On 3/5/10, Alex DeCaria [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > In switching to Ruby 1.9 from 1.8 I notice that the behavior of the ‘$,’ > > output separator has changed. In Ruby 1.9 the output separator is > > placed after a newline character, but this didn’t happen with Ruby 1.8. > > That doesn’t seem right. I agree. 1.9 writes one field separator too much. This must be a bug. Alex, separators are intended to be used a tad differently. You would rather set the output record separator as well: robert@fussel:~$ ruby -e ‘$,=“@”;$=“NL\n”;print 1,2,3’ 1@2@3NL robert@fussel:~$ Kind regards robert ---
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/5 "2010-03-07T13:09:56Z")
Should I submit a bug report, or do you think it will be eventually noticed on this forum? –Alex ---
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/6 "2010-03-07T18:15:54Z")
On 03/07/2010 01:09 PM, Alex DeCaria wrote: > Should I submit a bug report, or do you think it will be eventually > noticed on this forum? I’d check whether that bug is known already and only file in cast it is not: [http://redmine.ruby-lang.org/projects/show/ruby-191](http://redmine.ruby-lang.org/projects/show/ruby-191) Kind regards robert ---
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/7 "2010-03-07T18:16:29Z")
On 3/7/10, Alex DeCaria [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Should I submit a bug report, or do you think it will be eventually > noticed on this forum? File a bug. ---
**Author:** ![alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@alexd](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexd)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 8:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/different-behavior-of-output-separator-in-ruby-1-9/184649/8 "2010-03-13T08:01:29Z")
Hi, In message “Re: Different behavior of ‘$,’ output separator in Ruby 1.9” on Sat, 6 Mar 2010 04:06:22 +0900, Alex DeCaria [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes: |In switching to Ruby 1.9 from 1.8 I notice that the behavior of the ‘$,’ |output separator has changed. In Ruby 1.9 the output separator is |placed after a newline character, but this didn’t happen with Ruby 1.8. Sorry it was a bug introduce in r11003. Fixed in r26906. ``` matz. ```