Oh, man, I really DID miss something. What great news. You've made my 
day, even though it hasn't really started yet.

Tks,

Tom C.

Denis Hennessy wrote:
> It works just like in C....
>
> $ echo thisisatest > test.fil
> $ irb
> >> f = File.open('test.fil')
> => #<File:test.fil>
> >> f.seek(3, IO::SEEK_SET)
> => 0
> >> f.read 3
> => "sis"
>
> /dh
>
> On 4 Jan 2008, at 12:14, Tom Cloyd wrote:
>
>> Am definitely on the steep part of the ruby learning curve. I've 
>> programmed a bit in several other languages. Now I need something 
>> like a random disk file, so I can have a large hash or something like 
>> it available for random access. I've looked in Programming Ruby II, 
>> and the Ruby Cookbook. No info there. I then tried to search the 
>> arhives at http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/ruby/ruby-talk/index.shtml - 
>> the search tool seems not to be working. I then tried to find 
>> something with Google. No go.
>>
>> I must be thinking about this wrongly, somehow.
>>
>> So...how does one handle indexed (random) access to a large file - 
>> one too large to have in memory? I can't believe that random/like 
>> disk I/O is not possible in ruby.
>>
>> Thanks in advance...
>>
>> t.
>>
>> -- 
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Tom Cloyd, MS MA, LMHC
>> Private practice Psychotherapist
>> Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226
>> << tc / tomcloyd.com >> (email)
>> << TomCloyd.com >> (website & psychotherapy weblog) << 
>> sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health issues weblog)
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>
>
>
>


-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Cloyd, MS MA, LMHC
Private practice Psychotherapist
Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226
<< tc / tomcloyd.com >> (email)
<< TomCloyd.com >> (website & psychotherapy weblog) 
<< sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health issues weblog)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~