Hash#value?

hash.value?(value) -> true or false

Returns: Boolean · Updated March 13, 2026 · Hash Methods

hashes searching values lookup

The value? method (alias: has_value?) checks whether a hash contains a specific value. It searches all values and returns true if any match.

Basic Usage

# Check if value exists
hash = { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
hash.value?(2)    # => true
hash.value?(99)   # => false

Practical Examples

Configuration Check

config = { env: "production", debug: false, port: 8080 }

config.value?("production")  # => true
config.value?(8080)           # => true
config.value?(true)          # => false

Status Checking

statuses = { user1: "active", user2: "inactive", user3: "active" }
statuses.value?("active")   # => true
statuses.value?("pending")  # => false

Environment Variables

env_vars = ENV.to_h
env_vars.value?("ruby")  # true if PATH contains ruby

Find the Key for a Value

# Use select to find key for value
hash = { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
hash.key(2)  # => :b (key for value 2)

# Or iterate
hash.each { |k, v| puts k if v == 2 }  # => b

Return Values

# Returns boolean
result = {x: "hello"}.value?("hello")
puts result  # => true

result = {x: "hello"}.value?("world")
puts result  # => false

Aliases

hash = { a: 1 }

# Both work identically
hash.value?(1)      # => true
hash.has_value?(1)  # => true

Performance

# value? iterates through all values - O(n)
# For frequent lookups, invert the hash
h = { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
value_to_key = h.invert
value_to_key[2]  # => :b

Use Cases

Checking if hash contains specific value
Configuration validation
Status checking
Finding if any user has a role
Membership testing for hash values