# This script is a bit confusing!

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/this-script-is-a-bit-confusing/191558>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [July 14, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/this-script-is-a-bit-confusing/191558 "2010-07-14T14:09:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/this-script-is-a-bit-confusing/191558/1 "2010-07-14T14:09:33Z")

</div>

I have this script from “Why’s poignant guide to Ruby”:  
[http://pastie.org/1043938](http://pastie.org/1043938)

And, have the following questions:

1- def join( sep = $, format = “%s” )

What is:

$,  
“%s”  
?

2- How can I call a method on “end”? What is the purpose of doing it  
like that?

end.join( sep )

3- What is meant by this statement?

rooms.join(", ", “%d bed” )

Thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/this-script-is-a-bit-confusing/191558/2 "2010-07-14T15:57:34Z")

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class ArrayMine \< Array def join( sep = $, format = “%s” )

# %s is a c style format string meaning a string will go here

# $, is a global accessor and in my system case it was nill

```
collect do |item|
  sprintf( format, item ) end.join( sep ) # what string is

```

returned from the block do the join on it endend

rooms = ArrayMine[3, 4, 5]  
print “We have " + rooms.join(”, “, “%d bed” ) + " rooms available.”

# %d is another c format code that says a digit will be go here

Hope this helps

Thanks,

* * *

Allan D.  
Member of NetBeans Dream Team  
[http://wiki.netbeans.org/NetBeansDreamTeam](http://wiki.netbeans.org/NetBeansDreamTeam)  
Lead Developer, nbPython  
[http://wiki.netbeans.org/Python](http://wiki.netbeans.org/Python)  
[http://codesnakes.blogspot.com](http://codesnakes.blogspot.com) (my blog)  
[http://www.linkedin.com/in/javaalley](http://www.linkedin.com/in/javaalley)

On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 8:09 AM, Abder-Rahman A. \<

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 10:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/this-script-is-a-bit-confusing/191558/3 "2010-07-21T10:46:42Z")

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Thanks a lot.