# Newbie: %Q method?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-q-method/90316>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [March 27, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-q-method/90316 "2007-03-27T19:07:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jemminger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@jemminger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jemminger)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-q-method/90316/1 "2007-03-27T19:07:19Z")

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the tutorial at

> **[Radar - O’Reilly](https://www.oreilly.com/radar/?page=3)**
>
> Now, next, and beyond: Tracking need-to-know trends at the intersection of business and technology

uses this code:  
\<%= link\_to %Q{#{category.send(column.name)}}, :action =\> ‘show’, :id  
=\> category %\>

what is this %Q method?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jemminger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@jemminger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jemminger)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 7:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-q-method/90316/2 "2007-03-27T19:25:23Z")

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nevermind… kept googling and found it:  
[http://www.rubycentral.com/book/language.html#UB](http://www.rubycentral.com/book/language.html#UB)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jemminger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@jemminger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jemminger)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-q-method/90316/3 "2007-03-27T19:28:23Z")

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> the tutorial at  
> [Radar – O’Reilly](http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2007/01/05/revisiting-ruby-on-rails-revisited-2.html?page=3)
> 
> uses this code:  
> \<%= link\_to %Q{#{category.send(column.name)}}, :action =\> ‘show’, :id  
> =\> category %\>
> 
> what is this %Q method?

It’s the same as using double quotes… but sometimes makes things  
nicer… say when you want to embed a lot of double quotes in your  
string  
and not worry about escaping them.

irb(main):003:0\> %Q{one “two” three}  
=\> “one "two" three”