In ruby 1.9.x, we can specify the encoding with File.open('filename','r:iso-8859-1'). I often prefer to use a one-line File.read() if I am reading many short files into strings directly. Is there a way I can specify the encoding directly, or do I have to resort to one of the following?
str = File.read('filename')
str.force_encoding('iso-8859-1')
or
f = File.open('filename', 'r:iso-8859-1')
s = ''
while (line = f.gets)
s += line
end
f.close