Ruby | Array abbrev() Function

Introduction

Ruby is a popular language used for web development, scripting, and many other purposes. It provides a wide range of built-in functions, including the abbreviated form of the given string using the abbrev() function.

The abbrev() function is one of the many built-in methods that manipulate and modify arrays in Ruby.

This guide will cover the Ruby abbrev() function in detail, including a definition, syntax, parameters, and examples.

Definition

The abbrev() function is a built-in function in Ruby that creates an abbreviation of a given string or an array of strings. The abbrev() function takes an array of strings as its argument and returns a hash that contains pairings of the original strings with their abbreviations.

Syntax

The abbrev() function has the following syntax:

array.abbrev([pattern = /.*/])

The array parameter represents the input array of strings that the abbrev() function must abbreviate. The optional pattern parameter is a regular expression that determines which strings to abbreviate.

Parameters

The abbrev() function has two parameters:

• array: An array of strings that the abbrev() function must abbreviate.
• [pattern = /.*/]: An optional regular expression that determines which strings to abbreviate.

Examples

Example 1: Simple Use Case

In this example, we will use the abbrev() function to create an abbreviation of the given array of strings.

array = ['car', 'cone', 'cab', 'cat']
puts array.abbrev

Output:

{"ca" => "car",
 "c" => "cone",
 "cab" => "cab",
 "cat" => "cat"}

Example 2: Using the Pattern Argument

In this example, we will use the abbrev() function with the optional pattern argument to abbreviate only those strings that start with the letter 'c'.

array = ['car', 'cone', 'cab', 'cat']
puts array.abbrev(/^c/)

Output:

{"cone" => "con",
 "cab" => "cab",
 "car" => "car",
 "cat" => "cat"}

Example 3: Using an Empty Array

In this example, we will use the abbrev() function with an empty array input. The abbrev() function will return an empty hash.

array = []
puts array.abbrev

Output:

{}

Conclusion

The abbrev() function is a powerful Ruby built-in function that allows you to create abbreviations of strings and arrays. With this function, you can save time and improve efficiency in your Ruby code.