How to generate a UUID in Ruby

Ruby is a dynamic, open-source programming language with a focus on simplicity and productivity. It has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write. It was developed in the mid-1990s by Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto in Japan. In Ruby, everything is an object, including primitive data types

Here is an example of how to generate a UUID in Ruby:

1. require 'securerandom'
2. guid = SecureRandom.uuid
3. puts guid

This program uses the SecureRandom module to generate a random UUID and then prints it to the console. 'SecureRandom is part of Ruby’s standard library, so you don’t need to install it separately. You can use it in your Ruby program by simply requiring it at the top of your file with the line require 'securerandom'. This makes the SecureRandom module available for use in your program.

Explanation

• Line #1 loads the SecureRandom module from Ruby’s standard library. This module provides methods for generating secure random numbers, UUIDs, and other random data.
• Line #2 calls the uuid method on the SecureRandom module to generate a random UUID (Universally Unique Identifier). The generated UUID is then assigned to the guid variable.
• Line #3 prints the value of the guid variable to the console. In this case, it will print the generated UUID.

How to convert from a string to UUID in Ruby

1. def string_to_uuid(string)
2.   uuid = string.insert(8, '-').insert(13, '-').insert(18, '-').insert(23, '-')
3.   uuid
4. end
5. string = "550e8400e29b41d4a716446655440000"
6. uuid = string_to_uuid(string)
7. puts uuid # => "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"

Explanation

• Line #1 defines a method named string_to_uuid that takes a single argument named string. This argument represents the input string that will be converted to a UUID.
• Line #2 uses the insert method to insert hyphens into the input string at the appropriate positions to create a valid UUID string. The insert method takes two arguments: an index and a string. It inserts the specified string into the input string at the specified index. In this case, we’re inserting hyphens at indices 8, 13, 18, and 23 to create a valid UUID string. The resulting UUID string is then assigned to the uuid variable.
• Line #3 returns the value of the uuid variable from the method. This is the final result of the conversion from a string to a UUID.
• Line #4 marks the end of the string_to_uuid method definition.
• Line #5 assigns a sample input string to the string variable. This is the string that will be converted to a UUID.
• Line #6 calls the string_to_uuid method with the sample input string as an argument. The method returns a valid UUID string, which is then assigned to the uuid variable.
• Line #7 prints the value of the uuid variable to the console. In this case, it will print the generated UUID.