# Directory name issue

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-name-issue/62883>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [June 9, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-name-issue/62883 "2006-06-09T00:29:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-name-issue/62883/1 "2006-06-09T00:29:02Z")

</div>

here is the code

dirArray = Dir.entries(".")  
Dir.mkdir “SMITH, JOHN X755055”  
dirArray.each do  
fileentry = dirArray.pop  
if fileentry.match(“txt”)  
textfile = File.open(fileentry)  
textfile.each\_line {|line|  
newdir = line.upcase.to\_s  
if !File.exist?(newdir)  
Dir.mkdir “#{newdir}”  
print "Created directory: " + newdir +  
“\n”  
else  
print “Directory " + newdir + " already  
exists…  
.\n”  
end  
}  
end  
end

i have a text file in the same directory  
it has two lines, they look like this:

SMITH, ADAM X755077  
SMITH, ADAM X755078

when I run the above script, the first Dir.mkdir works fine  
however when it reads the first line of the text file, the  
Dir.mkdir “#{newdir}” doesn’t create a directory

i get this error

mkdirs.rb:9:in `mkdir': Invalid argument - "SMITH, ADAM X755077" (Errno::EIN VAL) from mkdirs.rb:9 from mkdirs.rb:6:in`each\_line’  
from mkdirs.rb:6  
from mkdirs.rb:2:in `each’  
from mkdirs.rb:2

what am I doing wrong

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-name-issue/62883/2 "2006-06-09T02:51:46Z")

</div>

> ```
> newdir = line.upcase.to_s
> 
> ```

newdir = line.chomp.upcase.to\_s

Your line has a linefeed. Chomp it.

Harry

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 3:04am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-name-issue/62883/3 "2006-06-09T03:04:11Z")

</div>

You can see it like this.

p line  
p line.chomp

Harry

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/3bc359/32.png) [@verynewbie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/verynewbie)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-name-issue/62883/4 "2006-06-09T03:46:49Z")

</div>

Harry wrote:

> > ```
> > newdir = line.upcase.to_s
> > 
> > ```
> 
> newdir = line.chomp.upcase.to\_s
> 
> Your line has a linefeed. Chomp it.
> 
> Harry

thanks!

i should have thought of that part of it though