# Outputting results as html in a file
**URL:** \
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [October 2, 2007, 7:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/outputting-results-as-html-in-a-file/116087 "2007-10-02T07:20:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1
**Author:**  [@Jenny\_P](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Jenny_P)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 7:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/outputting-results-as-html-in-a-file/116087/1 "2007-10-02T07:20:36Z")
Background: I’m working on a Ruby program to simulate horse races for
a fantasy horse racing league. It works off a csv file I put together
by hand with the information necessary for each race.
I realize it would be easier for people in the group to follow if I
was programming with objects. However, I just don’t understand OO
programming, my skills (such as they are) are procedural. Ruby was
pointed out to me as a language that would allow me to write
procedural programs and so far it is working out very nicely in that
regard.
After much hammering and fiddling, I have expanded the program
significantly since I last posted to the group. I can now run multiple
races off a single csv file, and I’ve added some additional features I
wanted.
What I’d like to be able to do, now, is provide minimally formatted
html “results” for each race.
What I’d like is output that would be something like this:
1a Mdn 2yoC/G Trot $3500
Winner: Ima Winnah, 2005 chestnut colt ABC
Bred by: Suzie Creamcheese
T= 2:00.1f
1(8) Ima Winnah, 05 cc, ABC, unplcd, pp4, by
neck, Given pace and in control from gate to wire, T=2:00.1f
Using my variable names, it would be something like this:
race\_name
(race #1)
Winner, details, time, etc, not coded into original program yet
position[j](count + 1) horse\_name[j], horse\_info[j],
owners\_initials[j], best\_result[j], pp pole\_new[j], by \, \, T=
\
\
race\_name
(race #2)
For the most part, once someone shows me the basics of doing this, I
can fill in the rest.
Code included below:
#! /usr/bin/env ruby
require ‘csv’
# Written by Jenny P. and Anthony Purcell based off starter code
# provided by Robbert Haarman
# assign counter to keep track of number of horses
count=-1
# create new arrays
horse\_name=Array.new(20)
horse\_info=Array.new(20)
owners\_initials=Array.new(20)
best\_result=Array.new(20)
race\_style=Array.new(20)
best\_time=Array.new(20)
pre\_points=Array.new(20)
start\_points=Array.new(20)
luck\_roll=Array.new(20)
roll\_1=Array.new(20)
roll\_2=Array.new(20)
roll\_3=Array.new(20)
roll\_4=Array.new(20)
roll\_5=Array.new(20)
score=Array.new(20)
pre\_point\_string = String.new
race\_name = String.new
race = 0
file\_lines = Array.new
# For each record in the CSV file…
CSV::Reader.parse(File.open(‘horses2.csv’)) do |record|
test\_string = record[0]
if test\_string == “” || test\_string == nil then
if race == 1 then
# Randomizing Post Position
# i is a counter to count up to the number of horses
pole = Array.new(count + 1) { |m| m + 1 }
number = Array.new(count + 1) { |m| m + 1 }
position = Array.new(count + 1)
pole\_new=pole.sort\_by { rand }
```
# Determining each horse's finishing position
temp_score = Array.new(count + 1) {|c| 100 * score[c] + 20 -
```
pole\_new[c]}
sort\_score = temp\_score.sort
sort\_score.reverse!
number.each {|a| position[a - 1] = number.detect {|b|
sort\_score[b - 1] == temp\_score[a - 1]}}
```
i=0
line = CSV.generate_line([race_name])
file_lines.push(line)
while i <= count do
j = number.detect {|c| position[c - 1] == i + 1}
j = j - 1
# Push each horse's name, owner, score, pre_points, dice
```
rolls, and other info into a new csv file
line = CSV.generate\_line([“pp#{pole\_new[j]}”, horse\_name[j],
horse\_info[j], owners\_initials[j], best\_result[j], race\_style[j],
best\_time[j], “#{pre\_points[j]} (#{start\_points[j]} #{luck\_roll[j]})”
, roll\_1[j], roll\_2[j], roll\_3[j], roll\_4[j], roll\_5[j], score[j],
“#{position[j]}(#{count + 1})”])
```
# Here is where we put the new line on the end of the csv
```
array
file\_lines.push(line)
i = i + 1
end
# generate a blank line and write it
line = CSV.generate\_line([])
file\_lines.push(line)
```
end
race = 0
```
elsif race == 0 then
race = 1
count = -1
race\_name = record[0]
else
count = count + 1 # count the number of horses in a particular
race
# Now we assign the appropriate fields of the record to
# variables named after the fields in the CSV file.
horse\_name[count] = record[0]
horse\_info[count] = record[1]
owners\_initials[count] = record[2]
best\_result[count] = record[3]
race\_style[count] = record[4]
best\_time[count] = record[5]
pre\_point\_string = record[6]
```
# Extract lead character for luck rolls
pre_roll_check = pre_point_string[0, 1]
temp_string = pre_point_string[1, pre_point_string.length]
# Use the lead character to determine how many luck rolls are
```
needed
# Use the remainder of the input string to evaluate initial point
allotment
if pre\_roll\_check == “a” then
num\_rolls = 3
elsif pre\_roll\_check == “b” then
num\_rolls = 2
elsif pre\_roll\_check == “c” then
num\_rolls = 1
else
num\_rolls = 0
luck\_roll[count] = 0
pre\_points[count] = pre\_point\_string.to\_i
start\_points[count] = pre\_points[count]
end
```
# Generate luck rolls if needed to calculate pre-point total
if num_rolls > 0 then
pre_roll_dice = (1..num_rolls).map { rand(4) + 1}
pre_points[count] = temp_string.to_i
start_points[count] = pre_points[count]
luck_roll[count] = 0
pre_roll_dice.each { |p| pre_points[count] = pre_points[count] +
```
p }
pre\_roll\_dice.each { |q| luck\_roll[count] = luck\_roll[count] + q
}
end
```
#puts CSV.generate_line([num_rolls, pre_points[count],
```
temp\_string, pre\_roll\_check])
```
# Roll the dice.
# This generates an array containing five die rolls,
# each die roll ranging from 1 to 6
dice = (1..5).map { rand(6) + 1 }
# Calculate score.
# The score is the sum pre_points, and each of the die rolls
temp_score = pre_points[count]
dice.each { |n| temp_score = temp_score + n }
score[count]=temp_score
roll_1[count]=dice[0]
roll_2[count]=dice[1]
roll_3[count]=dice[2]
roll_4[count]=dice[3]
roll_5[count]=dice[4]
# Share out pre-points based on running style
# Assign margins based on final points
# end of over-arching conditional statement
```
end
```
#end of the "do" statement for reading in CSV files
```
end
```
# Write to a csv file to archive "full" results (all points, etc).
filename = 'results.csv'
File.open filename, 'w+' do |f|
f.puts file_lines
end
```
---
**Author:**  [@Jenny\_P](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Jenny_P)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2007, 9:50am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/outputting-results-as-html-in-a-file/116087/2 "2007-10-02T09:50:59Z")
On 10/2/07, Jenny P. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> Background: I’m working on a Ruby program to simulate horse races for
> a fantasy horse racing league. It works off a csv file I put together
> by hand with the information necessary for each race.
> What I’d like to be able to do, now, is provide minimally formatted
> html “results” for each race.
Hi,
I think you should take a look into ERB
([http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/erb/rdoc/](http://www.ruby-doc.org/stdlib/libdoc/erb/rdoc/)). With this you can
have a template file or string with the HTML and a syntax to evaluate
some ruby code inside it, like evaluating your variables, etc. You can
then output the result of evaluating the template back into a file.
Hope this helps,
Jesus.
PS: sorry, I don’t have time now to work out an example, but I hope
this gets you started.