gistfile1.rb

require 'getoptlong'
  
data_file = 'data.txt'
words_to_generate = 10
  
min_length = 3
max_length = 9
  
opts = GetoptLong.new(
  ["--datafile", "-d", GetoptLong::OPTIONAL_ARGUMENT],
  ["--number-of-words", "-n", GetoptLong::OPTIONAL_ARGUMENT]
)
  
opts.each do |opt, arg|
  case opt
  when '--datafile'
    data_file = arg
  when '--number-of-words'
    words_to_generate = arg.to_i
  end
end
  
start_pairs = []
follower_letters = Hash.new('')
  
# when done array start_pairs will have the first two chars of every input name
# follower_letters hash will have random keys with randomized string values
File.open(data_file, 'r') do |file|
	#file->io->string->remove end char and line returne->to lower->turn all white space to ' '
	#seems to_a is superfluous to me as chars should return an array anyway???
  chars = file.read.chomp.downcase.gsub(/\s/, ' ').chars.to_a
  #puts chars
  	#
  chars.push(chars[0], chars[1])
  #puts chars
  (chars.length-2).times do |i|
    if chars[i] =~ /\s/						#if I find whitespace
      start_pairs.push(chars[i+1, 2].join)  #take the next two charaters concat and stuff into array
    end
    #create a bunch of random keys add them 
    follower_letters[chars[i, 2].join]=follower_letters[chars[i,2].join]+chars[i+2,1].join
  end
  #puts start_pairs
  puts follower_letters
end
  
def generate_word(word, follower_letters, min_length)
  last_pair = word[-2, 2] #get the last 2 chars of "word" which is a passed in start_pair element
  						  #doesn't matter first call, but on recursive calls, this grabs a new key
  letter = follower_letters[last_pair].slice(rand(follower_letters[last_pair].length), 1)
  if word =~ /\s$/
    return word unless word.length <= min_length
    return generate_word(word[-1, 1]+letter, follower_letters, min_length)
  else
    word = word.gsub(/^\s/, '')
    return generate_word(word+letter, follower_letters, min_length)
  end
end
  
words_to_generate.times do |i|
  puts generate_word(start_pairs[rand start_pairs.length], follower_letters, min_length)[0, max_length].capitalize
end