This is a simple Ruby script for assigning secret Santas and emailing everyone their assignment. The basic rule is that nobody can be assigned to give a gift to someone in their own group (including, of course, themselves). In my family, group == household, but it could mean anything you like.
The script uses Dennis Ranke's solution from The Ruby Quiz #2, which gives everyone a correct assignment in just a few passes through the list. Nice! :) The only tweaks I made were practical ones, like using config files, and a tiny bit of refactoring, logging, etc, to make it more apparent what's happening.
- Clone the repo
- Copy each of the
.yml.examplefiles inconfig/to a corresponding.ymland customize.- Security note: this script uses TLS to connect to your email account. If you're sending via a Gmail account, you can create a temporary password for this script at https://security.google.com/settings/security/apppasswords and revoke it when you're done.
- Run
ruby secret_santa.rband examine the output - Modify
letter_template.erb, if you like, and repeat. - When you're satisfied, run
REALLY_SENDING=true ruby secret_santa.rb
None, other than Ruby (I've used it with 1.9 and 2.2.3) and the standard library.
Thanks to Dennis Ranke for a nice solution, and to James Edward Gray II for running The Ruby Quiz.