# Need help with writefile line ranges within extensive file

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-help-with-writefile-line-ranges-within-extensive-file/179733>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [December 2, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-help-with-writefile-line-ranges-within-extensive-file/179733 "2009-12-02T20:15:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/elricstorm)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-help-with-writefile-line-ranges-within-extensive-file/179733/1 "2009-12-02T20:15:11Z")

</div>

Hi Everyone,

I have the following file that I started to work on:

class EuiiiReader

def initialize(writefile,filename)  
@writefile = writefile  
@filename = filename  
@provnum = /^\d{1,4}={/  
end

def readfile  
File.open(@filename, “r”) do |infile|  
@linenumarray = []  
while (line = infile.gets)  
if (line =~ @provnum)  
linenum = $.  
@linenumarray += [linenum]  
end  
end  
end  
end

def writefile  
open(@writefile, “w”) { |f|  
f.puts “Verifying File…”  
f.puts “=================”  
File.open(@filename, “r”) do |infile|  
while (line = infile.gets)  
# Need help here  
# @linenumarray contains all of the starting file lines  
# I need to output the lines + 8 lines after each one listed in  
the array to an output file  
f.puts “Something to do here”  
end  
end  
}  
end  
end

k = EuiiiReader.new(‘compare.txt’, ‘Italy\_alternate.eu3’)  
k.readfile  
k.writefile

=============

Here is my issue. I’m still trying to get better with utilizing Ruby in  
various situations. Since I read a lot of files and love file readers,  
I thought I would concentrate on this.

I have a simple saved game file from Europa Universallis III which  
contains approximately 850,000 lines. The saved game file is currently  
corrupt and I believe I know the issue and need to have a more permanent  
fix in place for if it happens again.

The file will look something similar in certain segments:

…

1={  
flags={  
}  
variables={  
}  
name=“Stockholm”  
owner=“SCA”  
controller=“SCA”  
core=“SWE”  
core=“SCA”  
culture=swedish

…

My class above starts with reading the entire file and locating province  
number lines for 1={, 2={, etc. etc. to say 1894={. When it finds these  
lines, it stores the line numbers into an array called @linenumarray.  
This is done in the readfile method.

In the writefile method, I need to output to file the line and the next  
8 lines after it for every line number stored in the array. So, the  
file would be written to:

# Verifying File…

1={  
flags={  
}  
variables={  
}  
name=“Stockholm”  
owner=“SCA”  
controller=“SCA”  
core=“SWE”  
2={  
flags={  
}  
variables={  
}  
name=“Stockholm”  
owner=“SCA”  
controller=“SCA”  
core=“SWE”  
etc…

My problem is I don’t know how to pull the line number from the array  
and attach another 8 lines to it. The commented section in the  
writefile method is where the placement should occur.

Again, as this is a learning process for me, whatever best practices  
should be used instead of what I’ve written would also be greatly  
appreciated. I want to make sure I simplify and expand upon my  
knowledge and not do things incorrectly. As ruby is a wonderful  
language with many ways of achieving an end result, I might be taking a  
more sloppy approach and for that I apologize.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/elricstorm)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-help-with-writefile-line-ranges-within-extensive-file/179733/2 "2009-12-02T21:40:53Z")

</div>

On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 8:15 PM, Alpha B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> end  
> end  
> # I need to output the lines + 8 lines after each one listed in  
> k.writefile  
> fix in place for if it happens again.  
> name=“Stockholm”  
> lines, it stores the line numbers into an array called @linenumarray.  
> }  
> }  
> Again, as this is a learning process for me, whatever best practices  
> Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/).

I don’t know if you need the line numbers for anything else, or if you  
actually need to read the file and calculate things and then write as  
a separate method, but if that’s not the case you can do this in a  
single pass through the infile:

irb(main):033:0\> File.open(“resulteuiii.txt”, “w”) do |f|  
irb(main):034:1\* File.open(“dataeuiii.txt”) do |infile|  
irb(main):035:2\* while (line = infile.gets)  
irb(main):036:3\> if line =~ /^\d{1,4}={/  
irb(main):037:4\> f.puts line  
irb(main):038:4\> 8.times {f.puts infile.gets}  
irb(main):039:4\> end  
irb(main):040:3\> end  
irb(main):041:2\> end

Hope this helps,

Jesus.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/elricstorm)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-help-with-writefile-line-ranges-within-extensive-file/179733/3 "2009-12-02T22:08:10Z")

</div>

Thanks mate - I appreciate the short fix.

I ended up having to do a lot more with the file and change it so I can  
spot issues in certain areas. So, I’ve rebuilt and adapted it as such:

class EuiiiReader

def initialize(writefile,filename)  
@writefile = writefile  
@filename = filename  
@provnum = /^\d{1,4}={/  
@owner = /owner=/  
@controller = /controller=/  
end

def readfile  
File.open(@filename, “r”) do |infile|  
@linenumarray = []  
while (line = infile.gets)  
if (line =~ @provnum)  
linenum = $.  
@linenumarray += [linenum]  
end  
end  
end  
end

def printmode(arg,match)  
if arg =~ match  
return true  
end  
end

def writefile  
open(@writefile, “w”) { |f|  
f.puts “Verifying File…”  
f.puts “=================”  
g = File.open(@filename, “r”)  
a = g.readlines  
@linenumarray.each do |segment|  
badowner = 0  
badcontroller = 0  
f.puts “Line number #{segment} and #{a[segment - 1]}”  
if a[segment+5] =~ @owner || a[segment+6] =~ @owner ||  
a[segment+7] =~ @owner  
f.puts printmode(a[segment+5],@owner) ? a[segment+5] : ‘’ if  
a[segment+5] =~ @owner  
f.puts printmode(a[segment+6],@owner) ? a[segment+6] : ‘’ if  
a[segment+6] =~ @owner  
f.puts printmode(a[segment+7],@owner) ? a[segment+7] : ‘’ if  
a[segment+7] =~ @owner  
else  
badowner = 1  
end  
if a[segment+6] =~ @controller || a[segment+7] =~ @controller ||  
a[segment+8] =~ @controller  
f.puts printmode(a[segment+6],@controller) ? a[segment+6] : ‘’  
if a[segment+6] =~ @controller  
f.puts printmode(a[segment+7],@controller) ? a[segment+7] : ‘’  
if a[segment+7] =~ @controller  
f.puts printmode(a[segment+8],@controller) ? a[segment+8] : ‘’  
if a[segment+8] =~ @controller  
else  
badcontroller = 1  
end  
if (badowner + badcontroller) == 1  
f.puts ‘FOUND a mismatch for owner/controller’  
if badowner == 1  
f.puts ‘Owner not found’  
else  
f.puts ‘Controller not found’  
end  
elsif (badowner + badcontroller) == 2  
f.puts ‘No Owners or Controllers for Province’  
else  
#  
end  
end  
}  
end  
end

k = EuiiiReader.new(‘compare.txt’, ‘Italy\_alternate.eu3’)  
k.readfile  
k.writefile

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/elricstorm)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-help-with-writefile-line-ranges-within-extensive-file/179733/4 "2009-12-03T18:00:02Z")

</div>

Jesús Gabriel y Galán wrote:

> Here you are not closing the file.
> 
> Use a = File.readlines(@filename)
> 
> instead.
> 
> Jesus.

Thanks mate - appreciate it. I’m cleaning it up now.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@elricstorm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/elricstorm)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-help-with-writefile-line-ranges-within-extensive-file/179733/5 "2009-12-02T22:20:42Z")

</div>

On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 10:08 PM, Alpha B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Thanks mate - I appreciate the short fix.
> 
> I ended up having to do a lot more with the file and change it so I can  
> spot issues in certain areas. So, I’ve rebuilt and adapted it as such:
> 
> ```
> g = File.open(@filename, "r")
> a = g.readlines
> 
> ```

Here you are not closing the file.

Use a = File.readlines(@filename)

instead.

Jesus.