Ruby - Variable length argument lists with Ruby

Ruby FAQ: How do I create a variable length argument list in a Ruby method?

One thing I really dig about Ruby is that I can create methods and functions that support variable-length argument lists. It's not something you need all the time, but it sure is nice to have it when you need it.

Here's how you create and then call a Ruby function/method that can take a variable number of arguments:

# define it
def variable_args(arg1, *more)
  puts more
end

# call it
variable_args(1,2,3,4)

after which the output looks like this:

2
3
4

Notice that the "1" that I use for my first function input parameter gets assigned to my first function argument, arg1, and therefore does not appear in the output.

Very cool, isn't it? I love testing stuff like this with irb, the interactive ruby shell.

I used this Ruby varargs capability recently when processing a CSV or Excel with Ruby, and when I find that code I'll be glad to publish it here as well.