# Newbie: functions don't work in script

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-functions-dont-work-in-script/52281>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 12, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-functions-dont-work-in-script/52281 "2006-01-12T14:42:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/corck)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-functions-dont-work-in-script/52281/1 "2006-01-12T14:42:22Z")

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sorry for this newbie question, just started ruby programming today,

Try to work me through the book Programming Ruby

the script:

#!/usr/local/bin/ruby  
a = [“a”, “b”, “c”]  
a.include?(“b”)

returns me nothing,  
if I do the same in “irb”  
it returns “true”

why does it not work in the shell script??

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**Author:** ![corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/corck)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-functions-dont-work-in-script/52281/2 "2006-01-12T15:04:09Z")

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Christoph,

your script doesn’t do anything with the return-value of ‘include?’

try this:

#!/usr/local/bin/ruby  
a = [“a”, “b”, “c”]  
p a.include?(“b”)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/corck)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-functions-dont-work-in-script/52281/3 "2006-01-12T15:13:30Z")

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PWR wrote:

> Try changing the last line of your script to,  
> puts a.include?(“b”)  
> irb automatically prints out the evaluation of an expression.
> 
> Peter.

thx a lot, now I got it!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@corck](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/corck)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-functions-dont-work-in-script/52281/4 "2006-01-12T15:04:13Z")

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Try changing the last line of your script to,  
puts a.include?(“b”)  
irb automatically prints out the evaluation of an expression.

Peter.