# 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. See Kernel.caller for details. Thread local. alias $ERROR_POSITION $@ # The default separator pattern used by String.split. May be # set from the command line using the -F flag. alias $FS $; # The default separator pattern used by String.split. May be # set from the command line using the -F flag. alias $FIELD_SEPARATOR $; # The separator string output between the parameters to methods such # as Kernel.print and Array.join. Defaults to +nil+, # which adds no text. alias $OFS $, # The separator string output between the parameters to methods such # as Kernel.print and Array.join. 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 Kernel.gets 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 Kernel.gets 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 # Kernel.print and IO.write. The default value is # +nil+. alias $ORS $\ # The string appended to the output of every call to methods such as # Kernel.print and IO.write. 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 Kernel.gets or # Kernel.readline. Many string-related functions in the # +Kernel+ module operate on $_ by default. The variable is # local to the current scope. Thread local. alias $LAST_READ_LINE $_ # The destination of output for Kernel.print # and Kernel.printf. The default value is # $stdout. alias $DEFAULT_OUTPUT $> # An object that provides access to the concatenation # of the contents of all the files # given as command-line arguments, or $stdin # (in the case where there are no # arguments). $< supports methods similar to a # +File+ object: # +inmode+, +close+, # closed?, +each+, # each_byte, each_line, # +eof+, eof?, +file+, # +filename+, +fileno+, # +getc+, +gets+, +lineno+, # lineno=, +path+, # +pos+, pos=, # +read+, +readchar+, # +readline+, +readlines+, # +rewind+, +seek+, +skip+, # +tell+, to_a, to_i, # to_io, to_s, along with the # methods in +Enumerable+. The method +file+ # returns a +File+ object for the file currently # being read. This may change as $< 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 $&, $`, $', # and $1 to $9 are all derived from # $~. Assigning to $~ 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 "cat" =~ /(c|a)(t|z)/, # $+ will be set to "t". This variable is local to the # current scope. Read only. Thread local. alias $LAST_PAREN_MATCH $+