Parse a decimal value from a String in Ruby

Question

I have a Ruby String that contains decimal-containing numbers. What's the best way to convert this into a decimal (fixed-point)?

"Best" means:

• Reliable given a wide range of input options
• Simple to write
• Easy to read
• DRY

...in roughly that order.

Answer 1

(Found it myself after a bit of digging)

BigDecimal is the standard Ruby fixed-point type, and it's constructor takes a String and handles the parsing for you:

BigDecimal.new("123.45")