LaTeX to Ruby Converter

About LaTeX to Ruby Converter

Convert LaTeX tables to Ruby data structures including arrays, hashes, and Struct objects. Perfect for Ruby applications, Rails projects, and data processing scripts.

Key Features

• Array of Arrays: Simple nested array structure
• Array of Hashes: Named key-value pairs for each row
• Struct Objects: Type-safe Ruby Struct instances
• Symbol Keys: Use Ruby symbols (:key) or strings ("key")
• Type Detection: Automatic numeric value detection
• String Escaping: Proper escaping of special characters
• File Download: Save as .rb file

How to Use

1. Input LaTeX Table: Paste your LaTeX table or upload a .tex file
2. Choose Format: Select array, hash, or struct output
3. Configure Options: Toggle symbols and header inclusion
4. Review Output: The Ruby code updates automatically
5. Copy or Download: Use in your Ruby application

Output Formats

• Array of Arrays: Simple 2D array structure, optional header row
• Array of Hashes: Each row as a hash with header keys
• Struct Objects: Defined Struct class with instances

Example Conversion

LaTeX Input:

\begin{tabular}{lll}
\toprule
Name & Age & City \\
\midrule
John Doe & 28 & New York \\
Jane Smith & 34 & London \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}

Ruby Output (Array of Hashes with Symbols):

data = [
  {
    :name => "John Doe",
    :age => 28,
    :city => "New York"
  },
  {
    :name => "Jane Smith",
    :age => 34,
    :city => "London"
  }
]

Ruby Output (Struct Objects):

# Define Struct
Record = Struct.new(:name, :age, :city)

# Create instances
data = [
  Record.new("John Doe", 28, "New York"),
  Record.new("Jane Smith", 34, "London")
]

# Access example:
# data[0].name

Ruby Output (Array of Arrays):

data = [
  ["Name", "Age", "City"],
  ["John Doe", 28, "New York"],
  ["Jane Smith", 34, "London"]
]

Common Use Cases

• Ruby on Rails: Seed data for database migrations
• Data Processing: Convert research data for Ruby scripts
• Testing: Create test fixtures and mock data
• Configuration: Generate configuration data structures
• API Development: Create sample response data
• Rake Tasks: Data for automated tasks

Ruby Best Practices

• Symbols vs Strings: Use symbols for hash keys (more memory efficient)
• Struct Benefits: Type safety, attribute access, better performance
• Arrays: Simple and fast, but no named access
• Hashes: Named access, flexible, but more memory

Usage Examples

Iterating over hashes:

data.each do |record|
  puts "#{record[:name]} is #{record[:age]} years old"
end

Using Struct objects:

data.each do |record|
  puts "#{record.name} lives in #{record.city}"
end

# Filter by age
adults = data.select { |r| r.age >= 30 }

Rails seed file:

# db/seeds.rb
data = [
  { name: "John Doe", age: 28, city: "New York" },
  { name: "Jane Smith", age: 34, city: "London" }
]

data.each do |attrs|
  User.create!(attrs)
end

Type Detection

• Numeric values (integers and floats) are output without quotes
• Text values are properly quoted and escaped
• Special characters are escaped (\n, \t, \', \", \\)
• Empty cells are converted to empty strings

Tips for Best Results

• Use symbols for hash keys in modern Ruby (Ruby 1.9+)
• Choose Struct for type-safe, performant code
• Use arrays for simple, sequential data
• Use hashes when you need named field access
• Test output in IRB or Ruby console before production use

Privacy & Security

All conversions happen locally in your browser. Your LaTeX data is never uploaded to any server, ensuring complete privacy and security.