# Formatting issue **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [December 1, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508 "2008-12-01T00:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/vaughajj)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508/1 "2008-12-01T00:36:33Z")
I have a text file that has data in it which is perfectly formatted the way I want it. I have the following code in my controller to open the file and read each line into an array which I then call from my view. The problem is, I completely loose the formatting the way I’m doing it: - from my controller: ` def index @ssh = Array.new a = File.open("/usr/bin/my_data.dat") a.each do |line| @my_data.push(line) end end ` -from my view: ` <%= @my_data %> ` I’m thinking that maybe I shouldn’t put the data in an array or maybe I should somehow loop through the array in my view in order to maintain the formatting of the text file? thanks ---
**Author:** ![vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/vaughajj)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508/2 "2008-12-01T01:07:24Z")
On Nov 30, 11:36 pm, John V. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I have a text file that has data in it which is perfectly formatted the > way I want it. > I have the following code in my controller to open the file and read > each line into an array which I then call from my view. The problem is, > I completely loose the formatting the way I’m doing it: \<%= … %\> basically just calls to\_s on whatever the expression in there evaluates to, and to\_s on an Array is just the concatenation of to\_s called on everything in it. If you just want to display data from the file, why not use @my\_data = File.read(…) ? Fred ---
**Author:** ![vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/vaughajj)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508/3 "2008-12-01T05:27:40Z")
On Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 6:03 PM, John V. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Here is the data, if you put it in a file and then tell Rails to read > it, please see if you can get it to display in the exact same format in > Rails. When I do it, all my columns don’t line up: They don’t line up in this email, either 🙂 Are you trying to display this in PRE tags or equivalent CSS with a monospace font? Your display would probably be more robust if you parsed the file contents and put it in an actual HTML table, though. ## FWIW, Hassan S. ------------------------ removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/vaughajj)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508/4 "2008-12-01T03:03:18Z")
Here is the data, if you put it in a file and then tell Rails to read it, please see if you can get it to display in the exact same format in Rails. When I do it, all my columns don’t line up: Mod Ports Card Type Model Serial No. * * * * * * 1 48 48 port 10/100 mb RJ-45 ethernet WS-X6248-RJ-45 SAD041509MC 2 48 48 port 10/100 mb RJ-45 ethernet WS-X6248-RJ-45 SAD041206F6 3 16 16 port 1000mb MTRJ ethernet WS-X6416-GE-MT SAD04220ML4 4 48 48 port 10/100 mb RJ-45 ethernet WS-X6248-RJ-45 SAD03465383 5 2 Supervisor Engine 720 (Active) WS-SUP720-3B SAL092750VP 6 2 Supervisor Engine 720 (Warm) WS-SUP720-3B SAL09285BW6 7 48 48 port 10/100 mb RJ-45 ethernet WS-X6248-RJ-45 SAD041509MY 8 48 CEF720 48 port 10/100/1000mb Ethernet WS-X6748-GE-TX SAL09285L96 9 6 Firewall Module WS-SVC-FWM-1 SAD084305Y3 Mod MAC addresses Hw Fw Sw Status * * * * * * 1 0001.970a.dab0 to 0001.970a.dadf 1.2 5.1(1)CSX 8.5(0.46)ROC Ok 2 00b0.c2f1.f21c to 00b0.c2f1.f24b 1.2 5.1(1)CSX 8.5(0.46)ROC Ok 3 00d0.c0ce.f854 to 00d0.c0ce.f863 1.0 5.3(1) 8.5(0.46)ROC Ok 4 0030.9615.2414 to 0030.9615.2443 1.1 4.2(0.24)VAI 8.5(0.46)ROC Ok 5 0012.dae4.7a28 to 0012.dae4.7a2b 4.4 8.1(3) 12.2(18)SXE3 Ok 6 0012.dae4.7f80 to 0012.dae4.7f83 4.4 8.1(3) 12.2(18)SXE3 Ok 7 0001.974a.0a30 to 0001.974a.0a5f 1.2 5.1(1)CSX 8.5(0.46)ROC Ok 8 0014.f27e.b460 to 0014.f27e.b48f 2.2 12.2(14r)S5 12.2(18)SXE3 Ok 9 0003.3234.bb36 to 0003.3234.bb3d 3.0 7.2(1) 2.3(1) Ok Mod Sub-Module Model Serial Hw Status * * * * * * 5 Policy Feature Card 3 WS-F6K-PFC3B SAL09253YMB 2.1 Ok 5 MSFC3 Daughterboard WS-SUP720 SAL0926479K 2.3 Ok 6 Policy Feature Card 3 WS-F6K-PFC3B SAL09274WMF 2.1 Ok 6 MSFC3 Daughterboard WS-SUP720 SAL09169JJE 2.3 Ok 8 Centralized Forwarding Card WS-F6700-CFC SAL09316RQD 2.0 Ok Mod Online Diag Status * * * 1 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 5 Pass 6 Pass 7 Pass 8 Pass 9 Pass thanks for the help, vic ---
**Author:** ![vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/vaughajj)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 1:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508/5 "2008-12-01T13:14:55Z")
On 1 Dec 2008, at 11:44, John V. wrote: > ## @my\_data = `/usr/bin/my_data.rb`#this causes data to be skewed #@my\_data = File.open("/usr/bin/my\_data.dat").read #this works end > > index.rthml code: > > ``` > <%= simple_format @my_data %> > ``` puts always appends a carriage return whereas write doesn’t. if you changed it to STDOUT.write(line) it should be the same Fred ---
**Author:** ![vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/vaughajj)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508/6 "2008-12-01T12:44:12Z")
Hassan S. wrote: > They don’t line up in this email, either 🙂 > …hehe…I know, I’m sorry that wasn’t much of a help 🙂 > Are you trying to display this in PRE tags or equivalent CSS with a > monospace font? …good call on this one though, I added PRE tags on my index.rhtml and the data is looking the way I want it…which is great news. ## I am still a bit baffled as to why I have to write the data to a file first, then open the file and put it in PRE tags as opposed to using PUTS statements in my original script and assigning that to a variable which gets called by my index page which still causes the format to be skewed. ## my\_data.rb code: data.each do |line| a.write(line) #–this writes to my\_data.dat puts line #–this puts the same data to STDOUT end ## controller code: def index @my\_data = `/usr/bin/my_data.rb`#this causes data to be skewed #@my\_data = File.open("/usr/bin/my\_data.dat").read #this works end index.rthml code: ``` <%= simple_format @my_data %> ``` Perhaps the way I’m writing to STDOUT in my\_data.rb is causing the skewing of my data? thanks vic ---
**Author:** ![vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vaughajj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/vaughajj)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/formatting-issue/154508/7 "2008-12-02T00:01:26Z")
STDOUT.write(line) fixed the problem…thanks again for the help! Frederick C. wrote: > On 1 Dec 2008, at 11:44, John V. wrote: > > > ## @my\_data = `/usr/bin/my_data.rb`#this causes data to be skewed #@my\_data = File.open("/usr/bin/my\_data.dat").read #this works end > > > > index.rthml code: > > > > ``` > > <%= simple_format @my_data %> > > ``` > > puts always appends a carriage return whereas write doesn’t. if you > changed it to STDOUT.write(line) it should be the same > > Fred