# Files and variables (noob alert)

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/files-and-variables-noob-alert/53187>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 27, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/files-and-variables-noob-alert/53187 "2006-01-27T22:02:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jmaenpaa)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/files-and-variables-noob-alert/53187/1 "2006-01-27T22:02:37Z")

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Chaps,

Say you’ve defined a variable:-

a = “l2.txt” # where l2.txt is a file that you know exists  
irb(main):009:0\> File.exist?(“l2.txt”)  
=\> true

#How can I use the variable a within the File.exist(parameter)?  
irb(main):012:0\> a  
=\> “l2.xt”

irb(main):013:0\> File.exist?(a)  
=\> false

irb(main):015:0\> File.exist?("#@a")  
=\> false

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jmaenpaa)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/files-and-variables-noob-alert/53187/2 "2006-01-27T22:47:59Z")

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On 1/27/06, John M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> =\> “l2.xt”
> 
> irb(main):013:0\> File.exist?(a)  
> =\> false
> 
> irb(main):015:0\> File.exist?(“#@a”)  
> =\> false

That should just work:

irb(main):010:0\> File.exist? ‘helloworld.rb’  
=\> true  
irb(main):011:0\> a = ‘helloworld.rb’  
=\> “helloworld.rb”  
irb(main):012:0\> File.exist? a  
=\> true  
irb(main):013:0\> File.exist? ‘nothere’  
=\> false

---

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**Author:** ![jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jmaenpaa)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/files-and-variables-noob-alert/53187/3 "2006-01-27T23:00:12Z")

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Thanks!  
On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 06:44:42 +0900

---

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**Author:** ![jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jmaenpaa](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jmaenpaa)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/files-and-variables-noob-alert/53187/4 "2006-01-27T23:21:23Z")

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irb(main):006:0\> x = ‘l2.txt’ if File.exist? ‘l2.txt’  
=\> “l2.txt”  
irb(main):007:0\> x  
=\> “l2.txt”

Thanks ever so much for your speedy reply. Now I’m starting to get  
somewhere!

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 06:44:42 +0900