question for newbie

a = << END_STR
This is the string
And a second line
END_STR
puts a


What does it mean?
I kept getting this error


q1.rb:1: syntax error, unexpected tLSHFT
a = << END_STR

--
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

On Feb 18, 2011, at 4:25 PM, Nericl Lau wrote:

> a = << END_STR
> This is the string
> And a second line
> END_STR
> puts a
>
>
> What does it mean?
> I kept getting this error
>
>
> q1.rb:1: syntax error, unexpected tLSHFT
> a = << END_STR
>

It means that you can't have a space or it looks like you're trying to
use the "left shift" operator <<

a = <<END_STR
This is the string
And a second line
END_STR
puts a

Or using the option to allow the ending tag to be indented:

a = <<-END_STR
This is the string
And a second line
END_STR
puts a

Should do what you want.

-Rob

Rob Biedenharn
Rob@AgileConsultingLLC.com http://AgileConsultingLLC.com/
rab@GaslightSoftware.com http://GaslightSoftware.com/

[Note: parts of this message were removed to make it a legal post.]

you need to remove the space between << and END_STR for the heredoc to work

like so

here = <<EOF
I am inside
a here doc
EOF

puts here

On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 3:25 PM, Nericl Lau <nericlau@gmail.com> wrote:

> a = << END_STR
> This is the string
> And a second line
> END_STR
> puts a
>
>
> What does it mean?
> I kept getting this error
>
>
> q1.rb:1: syntax error, unexpected tLSHFT
> a = << END_STR
>
> --
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
>
>

On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 4:25 PM, Nericl Lau <nericlau@gmail.com> wrote:
> a = << END_STR
> This is the string
> And a second line
> END_STR
> puts a
>
>
> What does it mean?
> I kept getting this error
>
>
> q1.rb:1: syntax error, unexpected tLSHFT
> a = << END_STR
>

That's called a heredoc string. See
http://www.ruby-doc.org/docs/ruby-do....html#here_doc
you have an extra space between << and END_STR

try this:
a = <<END_STR
hello world
END_STR
puts a