Today I Learned

How to force the early return in the each loop

You can use a break

(1..10).to_a.each.with_index do |element, index|
  puts "element #{element}, index: #{index}"
  break if index == 3
end

Using catch and throw

Following a syntax like this

catch :label do
  (1..10).to_a.each.with_index do |e, index|
    throw :label if condition
  end
end

Practical example

def my_method
  result = []
  catch :completed do
    (1..10).to_a.each.with_index do |element, index|
      result << element
      throw :completed if index == 3
    end
  end
  result
end
my_method
=> [1, 2, 3, 4]

Using Return

If you want to use return, it will stop the iterations but also the method itself, so be aware of that, and that remember that the return clause only works if it is contained in a method

def return_example
  values = []
  (1..10).to_a.each_with_index do |element, index|
    values << element
    return values if index == 3
  end
end

return_example
=> [1, 2, 3, 4]