From: Ross Bamford <rossrt@...>
Date: 2006-03-23T07:10:44+09:00
Subject: Re: why doesn't "to_s" DWIM?

On Thu, 2006-03-23 at 05:28 +0900, benny wrote:
> >> aoa = [[1,2,3],[4,5,6]]
> >> 
> >> aoa.each do |arr|
> >> arr.each do |item|
> >> item = item.to_s
> >> end
> >> assert_equal(["1","2","3"],arr)
> >> end
> >> 
> >> 
> >> end #def
> >> end #class
> >> ##########################################
> > 
> > Each just iterates the items, and the 'items' argument to the block is a
> > new local variable - changing it has no lasting effect. 
> but remember:
> 
> a = ["haha", "hihi", "hoho"]
> a.each { |i| i.gsub!("h", "l") }
> p a
> 
> and even
> 
> a = ["2","3", "4"]
> a.each { |i| i.replace("#{i} times") }
> p a
> 
> in fact variables only point to the objects. so you might use them to modify
> the object they are currently pointing to. if you got strings, you may
> modify them (instead of creating new ones). but unfortunately that won't
> work for numbers, since they are no real objects, but - how  do we call
> them? - first level objects?
> 

True, this is why the updated code I and others posted mostly retained
the outer 'each', and used map! on each inner array.

I think the term for Fixnums, nil, true and false is 'immediate values'.

-- 
Ross Bamford - rosco@roscopeco.REMOVE.co.uk