Using the Each Method in Ruby

Every array and hash in Ruby is an object, and every object of these types has a set of built-in methods. Programmers new to Ruby can learn about how to use the each method with an array and a hash by following the simple examples presented here. Using the Each Method With an Array Object in Ruby First,  create an array object by assigning the array to stooges. stooges [Larry, Curly, Moe] Next, call the each method and create a small block of code to process the results. stooges.each { |stooge| print stooge \n } This code  produces the following output: Larry Curly Moe The each method takes two arguments—an element and a block. The element, contained within the pipes, is similar to a placeholder. Whatever you put inside the pipes is used in the block to represent each element of the array in turn. The block is the line of code that is executed on each of the array items  and is handed the element to process. You can easily extend the code block to multiple lines by using do to define a larger block: stuff.each do |thing| print thing print \n end This is the same as the first example, except that the block is defined as everything after the element (in pipes) and before the end statement. Using the Each Method With a Hash Object Just like the  array object, the  hash object  has an  each  method that can be used to apply a block of code on each item in the hash.  First, create a simple  hash object  that contains some contact information: contact_info { name Bob, phone 111-111-1111 } Then, call the  each  method and create a single line block of code to process and print the results. contact_info.each { |key, value| print key value \n } This produces the following output: name Bob phone 111-111-1111 This works exactly like the  each method  for an  array object  with one crucial difference. For a hash, you create  two  elements—one for the  hash  key and one for the value. Like the array, these elements are placeholders that are used to pass each  key/value  pair into the code block as  Ruby loops  through the hash. You can easily extend the code block to multiple lines by using  do  to define a larger block: contact_info.each do |key, value| print print key value print \nend This is the same as the first hash example, except that the  block  is defined as everything after the elements (in pipes) and before the  end  statement.