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class method

CSV.generate

generate(csv_string, **options) {|csv| ... }

generate(**options) {|csv| ... }

# File tmp/rubies/ruby-3.2.0/lib/csv.rb, line 1397
def generate(str=nil, **options)
  encoding = options[:encoding]
  # add a default empty String, if none was given
  if str
    str = StringIO.new(str)
    str.seek(0, IO::SEEK_END)
    str.set_encoding(encoding) if encoding
  else
    str = +""
    str.force_encoding(encoding) if encoding
  end
  csv = new(str, **options) # wrap
  yield csv         # yield for appending
  csv.string        # return final String
end

Argument csv_string, if given, must be a String object; defaults to a new empty String.
Arguments options, if given, should be generating options. See Options for Generating.

Creates a new CSV object via CSV.new(csv_string, **options); calls the block with the CSV object, which the block may modify; returns the String generated from the CSV object.

Note that a passed String is modified by this method. Pass csv_string.dup if the String must be preserved.

This method has one additional option: :encoding, which sets the base Encoding for the output if no no str is specified. CSV needs this hint if you plan to output non-ASCII compatible data.

Add lines:

Example

input_string = "foo,0\nbar,1\nbaz,2\n"
output_string = CSV.generate(input_string) do |csv|
  csv << ['bat', 3]
  csv << ['bam', 4]
end
output_string # => "foo,0\nbar,1\nbaz,2\nbat,3\nbam,4\n"
input_string # => "foo,0\nbar,1\nbaz,2\nbat,3\nbam,4\n"
output_string.equal?(input_string) # => true # Same string, modified

Add lines into new string, preserving old string:

Example

input_string = "foo,0\nbar,1\nbaz,2\n"
output_string = CSV.generate(input_string.dup) do |csv|
  csv << ['bat', 3]
  csv << ['bam', 4]
end
output_string # => "foo,0\nbar,1\nbaz,2\nbat,3\nbam,4\n"
input_string # => "foo,0\nbar,1\nbaz,2\n"
output_string.equal?(input_string) # => false # Different strings

Create lines from nothing:

Example

output_string = CSV.generate do |csv|
  csv << ['foo', 0]
  csv << ['bar', 1]
  csv << ['baz', 2]
end
output_string # => "foo,0\nbar,1\nbaz,2\n"

Raises an exception if csv_string is not a String object:

Example

# Raises TypeError (no implicit conversion of Integer into String)
CSV.generate(0)

See also .foreach .generate_line .filter .generate_lines also in 3.3 · 3.1 · 3.0

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