# New to Ruby; need some help

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-some-help/172060>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [July 14, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-some-help/172060 "2009-07-14T02:30:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-some-help/172060/1 "2009-07-14T02:30:48Z")

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I am still working with console apps and do not see myself moving away  
from command line any time in the near future. However with one of  
the apps I am working on, I need something that writes the time in the  
bottom right hand corner and updates it every 1 second.  
This is the box below (I hope this works lol).

* * *

| C:\Ruby P.s\> ruby Test.rb |  
| Enter Number Here: 1  
|  
| Display stuff  
Here |  
|  
|  
|  
|  
|  
7:22:42 PM |  
|\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_|

Basically something that looks like that.

I know some C++ and Java, but all the apps I write for those are  
GUI… so frankly, I have no idea what to call what I am looking for,  
so Google is not much help ☹

Thanks for all the help,  
Chris Mays

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-some-help/172060/2 "2009-07-14T04:09:43Z")

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Chris Mays wrote:

> one of  
> the apps I am working on, I need something that writes the time in the  
> bottom right hand corner and updates it every 1 second.

Chris,  
Two libraries come to mind: ruby-ncurses and highline. I presume from  
your C:\ that you are on a Windows platform, so you would have to  
download the ncurses source code separately to install the gem, if you  
go that route. Someone with more Windows experience might be able to  
chime in if you need more info there. The ruby implementation of ncurses  
is known (last I heard) to be a bit incomplete, however.

Anyway, have a look at the rdocs and see if either might suite your  
needs:

[http://allgems.ruby-forum.com/gems/doc/highline/1.5.1](http://allgems.ruby-forum.com/gems/doc/highline/1.5.1)  
[http://allgems.ruby-forum.com/gems/doc/ncurses/0.9.1](http://allgems.ruby-forum.com/gems/doc/ncurses/0.9.1)

HTH,  
Howard