From: "sunaku (Suraj Kurapati)" <sunaku@...>
Date: 2012-03-29T08:36:37+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:43829] [ruby-trunk - Feature #5008] Equal rights for Hash (like Array, String, Integer, Float)


Issue #5008 has been updated by sunaku (Suraj Kurapati).


In my mind, nil.to_h should exist for the same reason that
nil.to_a, nil.to_s, nil.to_i, and nil.to_f exist: convenience.

It allows me to write:

  some_complicated_method.to_h.each { ... }

Instead of being forced to write:

  if some_hash = some_complicated_method
    some_hash.to_hash.each { ... }
  end

Note that I am only forced to write the above in the specific
case of hash and not for the other abstract data types because,
unlike hash, they all have nil.to_*() conversion methods.

Thanks for your consideration.
----------------------------------------
Feature #5008: Equal rights for Hash (like Array, String, Integer, Float)
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/5008#change-25335

Author: sunaku (Suraj Kurapati)
Status: Assigned
Priority: Normal
Assignee: matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto)
Category: 
Target version: 


=begin
Hello,

I am using ruby 1.9.2p180 (2011-02-18 revision 30909) [x86_64-linux].

Although Ruby has a rich set of primitive data types and structures, 
the Hash seems neglected in the Ruby API in comparison to its peers:

* String: Object#to_s by API
* Integer: Kernel#Integer by API and Object#to_i by convention
* Float: Kernel#Float by API and Object#to_f by convention
* Array: Kernel#Array by API and Object#to_a by convention
* Hash: Kernel#Hash (issue #3131) and Object#to_hash by convention

In particular, the Hash seems neglected by the Ruby API because:

* Its convention method (#to_hash) is longer than one character (#to_h).
* It did not have a Kernel-level method until recently (see issue #3131).
* It has no methods for conversion from NilClass, unlike #to_s, a, i, f.

Please rectify this un-orthogonality and grant Hash equal rights by:

* Establish #to_h as the convention method for converting objects into Hash.
* Add Kernel#Hash method for converting objects into Hash strictly (see issue #3131).
* Define NilClass#to_h so that we can convert nil into an empty Hash.

Thanks for your consideration.
=end


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