---
title: "Ruby 2.4 has default basename for Tempfile#create"
description: "Tempfile#create method now has a default empty basename"
canonical_url: "https://www.bigbinary.com/blog/ruby-2-4-has-default-basename-for-tempfile-create"
markdown_url: "https://www.bigbinary.com/blog/ruby-2-4-has-default-basename-for-tempfile-create.md"
---

# Ruby 2.4 has default basename for Tempfile#create

Tempfile#create method now has a default empty basename

- Author: Chirag Shah
- Published: April 4, 2017
- Categories: Ruby 2.4, Ruby

### Tempfile class

[Tempfile](http://ruby-doc.org/stdlib-2.4.0/libdoc/tempfile/rdoc/Tempfile.html)
is used for managing temporary files in Ruby. A Tempfile object creates a
temporary file with a unique filename. It behaves just like a File object, and
therefore we can perform all the usual file operations on it.

### Why Tempfile when we can use File

These days it is common to store file on services like S3. Let's say that we
have a `users.csv` file on S3. Working with this file remotely is problematic.
In such cases it is desirable to download the file on local machine for
manipulation. After the work is done then file should be deleted. Tempfile is
ideal for such cases.

### Basename for tempfile

If we want to create a temporary file then we needed to pass parameter to it
prior to Ruby 2.3.

```ruby

require 'tempfile'
file = Tempfile.new('bigbinary')
#=> #<Tempfile:/var/folders/jv/fxkfk9_10nb_964rvrszs2540000gn/T/bigbinary-20170304-10828-1w02mqi>

```

As we can see above the generated file name begins with "bigbinary" word.

Since Tempfile ensures that the generate filename will always be unique the
point of passing the argument is meaningless. Ruby doc calls this passing
"basename".

So in Ruby 2.3.0 it was [decided](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/pull/523) that
the basename parameter was meaningless for `Tempfile#new` and an empty string
will be the default value.

```ruby

require 'tempfile'
file = Tempfile.new
#=> #<Tempfile:/var/folders/jv/fxkfk9_10nb_964rvrszs2540000gn/T/20170304-10828-1v855bf>

```

But the same was not implemented for `Tempfile#create`.

```ruby

# Ruby 2.3.0
require 'tempfile'
Tempfile.create do |f|
  f.write "hello"
end

ArgumentError: wrong number of arguments (given 0, expected 1..2)

```

This was [fixed](https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/11965) in Ruby 2.4. So now
the basename parameter for `Tempfile.create` is set to empty string by default,
to keep it consistent with the `Tempfile#new` method.

```ruby

# Ruby 2.4
require 'tempfile'
Tempfile.create do |f|
  f.write "hello"
end
=> 5

```

## Links

- [Human page](https://www.bigbinary.com/blog/ruby-2-4-has-default-basename-for-tempfile-create)