From: "trans (Thomas Sawyer)" <transfire@...>
Date: 2012-05-28T21:49:22+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:45300] [ruby-trunk - Feature #6507] File Literal


Issue #6507 has been updated by trans (Thomas Sawyer).


=begin
I thought about this a bit more and there is really no way to avoid a certain amount of regex look-alike b/c that's simply how paths are notated -- with slashes.

One thought I has was using `./` and `//` (for root) as initial markers.

  file = //'etc/fstab'

  file = ./'README.rdoc'

@Ilya You are right, but parenthesis could be used if need be. Given your example:

  (\foo.rb).open{}

In any case we will want to support variables so it's probably not a good option for that reason either, e.g. we would want to do things like:

  dir = File.dirname(__FILE__)

  //dir/'foo.txt'

The use of (({%f})) would work. The only shortcoming there is having to use interpolation for variables, e.g. the example above would be:

  %f{#{dir}/foo.txt}

Not quite as nice. But, I'd still take that over what we have now.
=end
----------------------------------------
Feature #6507: File Literal
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/6507#change-26882

Author: trans (Thomas Sawyer)
Status: Feedback
Priority: Normal
Assignee: 
Category: core
Target version: 2.0.0


=begin
One of the features of the Rebol programming language that I has always liked is its direct support for files via the (({%filename})) notation (See http://www.rebol.com/r3/docs/datatypes/file.html). I've often wondered how Ruby might support the same, but finding a suitable and available notation proved rather difficult.

Today it occurred to me that perhaps the `/` symbol could do the trick:

  file = /README.rdoc

For absolute paths it could be `//`:

  file = //etc/fstab

Exactly what class of object (({file})) should be is up for debate. Probably it would be a (({Pathname})) instance, but I suppose it could a different "Path" class basically a wrapper round (({File})) and (({Dir})) classes.

The benefit of this is fairly obvious I think, but I'll give one clear usecase just the same:

  class Foo
    def initialize(source)
      case source
      when String
        parse(source)
      when Pathname  # assuming this to be the instance
        parse(source.read)
      end
    end
  end

  # from string
  Foo.new "content of foo"

  # from file
  Foo.new /foo.txt

There is the ambiguity of `x /a` for division, but I think expecting `x/a` or `x / a` for that is okay. After all, the same limitation holds for other unary operators too.

Actually, while I like the concise notation, it may be more flexible to require a string:

  /'foo.txt'

Then `/` could actually be a unary operator.

In anycase, whether this notation works or not, I hope this spurs some debate so that ultimately something along these lines will come of it. I truly tire of typing things like (({File.read(File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), fname))})).
=end



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