From: eregontp@... Date: 2020-08-30T11:26:25+00:00 Subject: [ruby-core:99778] [Ruby master Feature#13683] Add strict Enumerable#single Issue #13683 has been updated by Eregon (Benoit Daloze). matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto) wrote in #note-10: > Hmm, I don't like the name `single`. matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto) wrote in #note-17: > I don't like `only` either since these names do not describe the behavior. Could you explain why? I think `single` as in "return a single element or error out" is the best name here, and the most intuitive. If I want a random element, then #sample already exists, so I don't think there would be any confusion to what `Array#single` or `Enumerable#single` would do. `array.only` reads weirdly to me. `array.single` is so much nicer, no? ---------------------------------------- Feature #13683: Add strict Enumerable#single https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/13683#change-87293 * Author: dnagir (Dmytrii Nagirniak) * Status: Feedback * Priority: Normal ---------------------------------------- ### Summary This is inspired by other languages and frameworks, such as LINQ's [Single](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb155325%28v=vs.110%29.aspx) (pardon MSDN reference), which has very big distinction between `first` and `single` element of a collection. - `first` normally returns the top element, and the developer assumes there could be many; - `single` returns one and only one element, and it is an error if there are none or more than one. We, in Ruby world, very often write `fetch_by('something').first` assuming there's only one element that can be returned there. But in majority of the cases, we really want a `single` element. The problems with using `first` in this case: - developer needs to explicitly double check the result isn't `nil` - in case of corrupted data (more than one item returned), it will never be noticed `Enumerable#single` addresses those problems in a very strong and specific way that may save the world by simply switching from `first` to `single`. ### Other information - we may come with a better internal implementation (than `self.map`) - better name could be used, maybe `only` is better, or a bang version? - re-consider the "block" implementation in favour of a separate method (`single!`, `single_or { 'default' }`) The original implementation is on the ActiveSupport https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/26206 But it was suggested to discuss the possibility of adding it to Ruby which would be amazing. -- https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/ Unsubscribe: