The Binary Left Shift Operator in Ruby

1. the Binary Left Shift Operator (<<) in Ruby
2. Use the << Operator on an Array in Ruby
3. Use the << Operator to Define Class Methods in Ruby
4. Use the << Operator in heredoc

This article will briefly introduce what is << in Ruby and where it’s used.

the Binary Left Shift Operator (<<) in Ruby

The << operator is a method of string. It concatenates two strings, and the original string is changed directly.

Code Example:

my_string = 'Hello.'
my_string << ' Nice to meet you!'
puts my_string

Output:

Hello. Nice to meet you!

Use the << Operator on an Array in Ruby

Method << can be used on an array. It appends an object directly to the end of the original array.

Code Example:

my_array = [1, 2, 3]
my_array << 5
puts my_array

Output:

[1, 2, 3, 5]

This method is similar to the Array#push method. Note that it can accept any argument, such as another array or hash.

Code Example:

my_array << { a: 1 }
my_array << [6, 7, 8]
puts my_array

Output:

[1, 2, 3, 5, {:a=>1}, [6, 7, 8]]

Use the << Operator to Define Class Methods in Ruby

Another popular use of << is defining class methods when creating a ruby class.

Code Example:

class MyClass
  class << self
    def class_method
      'inside class method'
    end
  end
end

MyClass.class_method

Output:

"inside class method"

Use the << Operator in heredoc

heredoc allows us to write a large block of text. The syntax begins with <<, continues with the document’s name and content, and ends with the document’s name on a separate line.

Example:

<<~MY_DOC
  Lorem Ipsum
  Donec sollicitudin molestie malesuada.
  Proin eget tortor risus. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.
MY_DOC

Output:

"Lorem Ipsum\nDonec sollicitudin molestie malesuada.\nProin eget tortor risus. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a.\n"