# Include the English library file in a Ruby script, and you can # reference the global variables such as \VAR{\$\_} using less # cryptic names, listed in the following table.% \vref{tab:english}. # # Without 'English': # # $\ = ' -- ' # "waterbuffalo" =~ /buff/ # print $", $', $$, "\n" # # With English: # # require "English" # # $OUTPUT_FIELD_SEPARATOR = ' -- ' # "waterbuffalo" =~ /buff/ # print $LOADED_FEATURES, $POSTMATCH, $PID, "\n" # The exception object passed to +raise+. alias $ERROR_INFO $! # The stack backtrace generated by the last # exception. <tt>See Kernel.caller</tt> for details. Thread local. alias $ERROR_POSITION $@ # The default separator pattern used by <tt>String.split</tt>. May be # set from the command line using the <tt>-F</tt> flag. alias $FS $; # The default separator pattern used by <tt>String.split</tt>. May be # set from the command line using the <tt>-F</tt> flag. alias $FIELD_SEPARATOR $; # The separator string output between the parameters to methods such # as <tt>Kernel.print</tt> and <tt>Array.join</tt>. Defaults to +nil+, # which adds no text. alias $OFS $, # The separator string output between the parameters to methods such # as <tt>Kernel.print</tt> and <tt>Array.join</tt>. Defaults to +nil+, # which adds no text. alias $OUTPUT_FIELD_SEPARATOR $, # The input record separator (newline by default). This is the value # that routines such as <tt>Kernel.gets</tt> use to determine record # boundaries. If set to +nil+, +gets+ will read the entire file. alias $RS $/ # The input record separator (newline by default). This is the value # that routines such as <tt>Kernel.gets</tt> use to determine record # boundaries. If set to +nil+, +gets+ will read the entire file. alias $INPUT_RECORD_SEPARATOR $/ # The string appended to the output of every call to methods such as # <tt>Kernel.print</tt> and <tt>IO.write</tt>. The default value is # +nil+. alias $ORS $\ # The string appended to the output of every call to methods such as # <tt>Kernel.print</tt> and <tt>IO.write</tt>. The default value is # +nil+. alias $OUTPUT_RECORD_SEPARATOR $\ # The number of the last line read from the current input file. alias $INPUT_LINE_NUMBER $. # The number of the last line read from the current input file. alias $NR $. # The last line read by <tt>Kernel.gets</tt> or # <tt>Kernel.readline</tt>. Many string-related functions in the # +Kernel+ module operate on <tt>$_</tt> by default. The variable is # local to the current scope. Thread local. alias $LAST_READ_LINE $_ # The destination of output for <tt>Kernel.print</tt> # and <tt>Kernel.printf</tt>. The default value is # <tt>$stdout</tt>. alias $DEFAULT_OUTPUT $> # An object that provides access to the concatenation # of the contents of all the files # given as command-line arguments, or <tt>$stdin</tt> # (in the case where there are no # arguments). <tt>$<</tt> supports methods similar to a # +File+ object: # +inmode+, +close+, # <tt>closed?</tt>, +each+, # <tt>each_byte</tt>, <tt>each_line</tt>, # +eof+, <tt>eof?</tt>, +file+, # +filename+, +fileno+, # +getc+, +gets+, +lineno+, # <tt>lineno=</tt>, +path+, # +pos+, <tt>pos=</tt>, # +read+, +readchar+, # +readline+, +readlines+, # +rewind+, +seek+, +skip+, # +tell+, <tt>to_a</tt>, <tt>to_i</tt>, # <tt>to_io</tt>, <tt>to_s</tt>, along with the # methods in +Enumerable+. The method +file+ # returns a +File+ object for the file currently # being read. This may change as <tt>$<</tt> reads # through the files on the command line. Read only. alias $DEFAULT_INPUT $< # The process number of the program being executed. Read only. alias $PID $$ # The process number of the program being executed. Read only. alias $PROCESS_ID $$ # The exit status of the last child process to terminate. Read # only. Thread local. alias $CHILD_STATUS $? # A +MatchData+ object that encapsulates the results of a successful # pattern match. The variables <tt>$&</tt>, <tt>$`</tt>, <tt>$'</tt>, # and <tt>$1</tt> to <tt>$9</tt> are all derived from # <tt>$~</tt>. Assigning to <tt>$~</tt> changes the values of these # derived variables. This variable is local to the current # scope. Thread local. alias $LAST_MATCH_INFO $~ # If set to any value apart from +nil+ or +false+, all pattern matches # will be case insensitive, string comparisons will ignore case, and # string hash values will be case insensitive. Deprecated alias $IGNORECASE $= # An array of strings containing the command-line # options from the invocation of the program. Options # used by the Ruby interpreter will have been # removed. Read only. Also known simply as +ARGV+. alias $ARGV $* # The string matched by the last successful pattern # match. This variable is local to the current # scope. Read only. Thread local. alias $MATCH $& # The string preceding the match in the last # successful pattern match. This variable is local to # the current scope. Read only. Thread local. alias $PREMATCH $` # The string following the match in the last # successful pattern match. This variable is local to # the current scope. Read only. Thread local. alias $POSTMATCH $' # The contents of the highest-numbered group matched in the last # successful pattern match. Thus, in <tt>"cat" =~ /(c|a)(t|z)/</tt>, # <tt>$+</tt> will be set to "t". This variable is local to the # current scope. Read only. Thread local. alias $LAST_PAREN_MATCH $+