# How to ensure no blank lines in DATA statements **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [April 23, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579 "2006-04-23T17:15:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/1 "2006-04-23T17:15:37Z")
suppose i have the following piece of code to read some data (input by the user) following **END** while line = DATA.gets one\_record = line.chomp!.split # do stuff end **END** bought 2 widgets 17.99 sold 12 widgets 22.49 bought 11 things 12.99 sold 5 things 10.49 as you can see, there is a blank line ahead of the first line of data (i don’t want that), and there may be one or more blank lines or lines containing spaces after the data or even between the lines of data. i can’t control what the user will do here, but i need to take it into account. any suggestions on how to ensure that any line i read contains the 4 desired fields and doesn’t contain anything else (even 4 blank spaces like between the last bought and sold records)? thanks joe ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/2 "2006-04-23T17:21:45Z")
Hi – On Mon, 24 Apr 2006, Joseph Paish wrote: > **END** > don’t want that), and there may be one or more blank lines or lines > containing spaces after the data or even between the lines of data. > > i can’t control what the user will do here, but i need to take it into > account. any suggestions on how to ensure that any line i read contains > the 4 desired fields and doesn’t contain anything else (even 4 blank > spaces like between the last bought and sold records)? Here’s a nice way to avoid worrying about the spaces, though it may run aground if you have lines that have non-spaces and are malformed: require ‘scanf’ DATA.scanf(“%s%d%s%f”) do |action, num, item, price| puts “#{action} #{num} #{item} at $#{price}, total $#{price \* num}” end Output (with your sample): bought 2 widgets at $17.99, total $35.98 sold 12 widgets at $22.49, total $269.88 bought 11 things at $12.99, total $142.89 sold 5 things at $10.49, total $52.45 David – David A. Black (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid) Ruby Power and Light, LLC ([http://www.rubypowerandlight.com](http://www.rubypowerandlight.com)) “Ruby for Rails” PDF now on sale! [Ruby for Rails](http://www.manning.com/black) Paper version coming in early May! ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/3 "2006-04-23T17:40:28Z")
On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 00:20:46 +0900 removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote: > > end > > sold 5 things 10.49 > > bought 2 widgets at $17.99, total $35.98 > sold 12 widgets at $22.49, total $269.88 > bought 11 things at $12.99, total $142.89 > sold 5 things at $10.49, total $52.45 > > David this is exactly what i needed. thank you joe ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/4 "2006-04-23T19:12:57Z")
Can someone tell me how to unsubscribe? This info should be at the bottom of each email. Thanks JB ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/5 "2006-04-23T19:22:10Z")
On Sunday 23 April 2006 18:11, John Brookes wrote: > Can someone tell me how to unsubscribe? > This info should be at the bottom of each email. > Thanks > JB > Just send an email to the list controller address > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > with with the body: unsubscribe. More help is available here: > [http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/20020104.html](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/20020104.html). I’ll admit that the interface > is > perhaps not what many will be used to due to the dominance of > mailman-operated lists. Hope this helps, Alex ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/6 "2006-04-23T22:57:39Z")
On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 00:42:15 +0900 removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote: > > > > **END** > > > > don’t want that), and there may be one or more blank lines or lines > > > > require ‘scanf’ > > > > sold 5 things at $10.49, total $52.45 > > > > joe > > Do be careful, though, if there’s a chance of a malformed line. scanf > will just stop. But if the data are as they should be it will work > nicely. > > David ok, thanks for the warning. malformed lines _shouldn’t_ be an issue. in any event, it looks like it’s time for some more reading (raise, catch, throw, etc.) just to learn how to cover that possibility. joe ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/7 "2006-04-23T23:34:25Z")
“John Brookes” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes: > Can someone tell me how to unsubscribe? > This info should be at the bottom of each email. Luckily, it’s at the _top_ of each mail 🙂 List-Id: [ruby-talk.ruby-lang.org](http://ruby-talk.ruby-lang.org) List-Software: fml [fml 4.0.3 release (20011202/4.0.3)] List-Post: [mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) List-Owner: [mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) List-Help: [mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid?body=help](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid?body=help) List-Unsubscribe: [mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid?body=unsubscribe](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid?body=unsubscribe) ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/8 "2006-04-23T17:43:35Z")
Hi – On Mon, 24 Apr 2006, Joseph Paish wrote: > > > while line = DATA.gets > > > > > > account. any suggestions on how to ensure that any line i read contains > > > end > > this is exactly what i needed. > > thank you > > joe Do be careful, though, if there’s a chance of a malformed line. scanf will just stop. But if the data are as they should be it will work nicely. David – David A. Black (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid) Ruby Power and Light, LLC ([http://www.rubypowerandlight.com](http://www.rubypowerandlight.com)) “Ruby for Rails” PDF now on sale! [Ruby for Rails](http://www.manning.com/black) Paper version coming in early May! ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Joseph\_Paish](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joseph_Paish)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 7:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-ensure-no-blank-lines-in-data-statements/58579/9 "2006-04-24T07:31:05Z")
On 4/23/06, A. S. Bradbury [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: [snip] > Just send an email to the list controller address removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > with with the body: unsubscribe. More help is available here: > [http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/20020104.html](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/20020104.html). I’ll admit that the interface is > perhaps not what many will be used to due to the dominance of > mailman-operated lists. Hope this helps, > > Alex When I send a message to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid containing “unsubscribe” as its body and my subscribed email address as both the envelope from and the From: header, I receive this cryptic reply and continue receiving list messages: * * * Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 13:45:39 +0900 From: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid Reply-To: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid Subject: fml Command Status report (ruby-talk ML) To: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > > > unsubscribe > > > set UNSUBSCRIBE =\> BYE > > > BYE command got some errors Hmm,…, modifying delivery list fails. BYE [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid] accepted change member list not recipient list removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid, Be Seeing You! * * * I have no idea what that means, even after looking at the five-year-old Perl code that’s printing it. When I try sending the message from another address, I receive a different error message stating that the address isn’t subscribed, so I’m reasonably convinced that I’m using the correct address. My messages to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid go unanswered. If the list admin is reading this, please unsubscribe me. Thanks!