# Pipe shell output to ruby -e?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pipe-shell-output-to-ruby-e/73160>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [October 22, 2006, 9:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pipe-shell-output-to-ruby-e/73160 "2006-10-22T09:17:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/d0t1q)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 9:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pipe-shell-output-to-ruby-e/73160/1 "2006-10-22T09:17:57Z")

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I know this has been done before but search yields nothing :-\

Just wondering how you can pipe output to ruby -e? I tried this but  
it doesnt work ☹

#### borked

echo “hello” |ruby -e ‘puts ARGV.to\_s’

Thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

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**Author:** ![d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/d0t1q)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 9:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pipe-shell-output-to-ruby-e/73160/2 "2006-10-22T09:58:00Z")

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From: “x1” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)

> Just wondering how you can pipe output to ruby -e? I tried this but  
> it doesnt work ☹
> 
> #### borked
> 
> echo “hello” |ruby -e ‘puts ARGV.to\_s’

A couple possibilities:

echo hello | ruby -e “puts gets”  
echo hello | ruby -e “puts ARGF.read”

ruby -e ‘puts ARGV.to\_s’ `echo hello`

Hope this helps,

Bill

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/d0t1q)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pipe-shell-output-to-ruby-e/73160/3 "2006-10-23T06:30:16Z")

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Awesome. Thanks so much!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@d0t1q](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/d0t1q)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pipe-shell-output-to-ruby-e/73160/4 "2006-10-22T15:10:44Z")

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x1 wrote:

> I know this has been done before but search yields nothing :-\
> 
> Just wondering how you can pipe output to ruby -e? I tried this but  
> it doesnt work ☹
> 
> #### borked
> 
> echo “hello” |ruby -e ‘puts ARGV.to\_s’

echo “hello” | xargs ruby -e ‘puts ARGV.to\_s’

will also work.

Cheers,

eb