More Ruby and some scripting

This afternoon I built more of the program for creating an OOXML spreadsheet. I started in Ruby but ended with a lot of it in bash scripts.

I tend to push tasks down to the lowest possible level. C#, C++, and Java are at the uppermost level. Perl and Ruby are in the middle. Bash and DOS scripts are at the lowest level. (Assembly language does not appear in the hierarchy, nor does Visual Basic.)

I have since realized that the bash script is the wrong level for my work. I want this utility to run on Linux and Windows. Therefore, it must live in a layer that is compatible across operating systems. The scripting level (bash or DOS) is the wrong level. I will have to re-do this afternoon's work and put it into a higher level. Probably Ruby, as other parts are already there and I want the experience.

Moving the work to Ruby may simplify the program. I had to resort to some bash tricks to get all of the information that I need. In Ruby, I will have more capable data structures. I've learned a few lessons today.