[ruby-core:33339] Re: [Ruby 1.9-Feature#4086][Open] Feature request: add String#contain? and {Enumerable,Array}#contain? methods

On 24 November 2010 17:47, Roger Pack <[e-mail]> wrote:
> Feature #4086: Feature request: add String#contain? and {Enumerable,Array}#contain? methods
>
> Currently Strings and Enumerables have a contain? method for searching for if one includes another.

You probably meant "have an include? method"

> I tend to "reach for" an include? method for the same, since it makes more sense in my head. or instance "is this string included in that one? Does this array include this member?"

There is already #include?, I guess you meant #contain?

Your sentence I just quoted feels right enough to me to not want anything else:
"is this string included in that one? Does this array include this member?"

Especially about Arrays, I prefer #include?

if ary.include? element
if ary.contain? element

However, you might be right, #include? is not the best name for string
inclusion in another.

I would expect String#include? to say me if a single character is part
of the String, because the set of characters is likely the only
enumerable part of a String which make sense here.

But, as we all know, characters in Ruby happen to be String of length
1, and then the current #include? behavior is logical.

#contain? might fit better for substring inclusion, but the
'cleverness' of #include? is nicer to me.

> Since ruby is typically not averse to several ways to do the same thing (example: Array#{detect,find}, Array#{collect,map} etc.)

I personally disagree to this, such basic methods duplicated seems bad
design for readers. I like TMTOWTDI, but this is just confusing.

Just an opinion,
Benoit Daloze