From: ara.t.howard@...
Date: 2006-04-26T03:20:56+09:00
Subject: Re: [RCR] Hash#getopt

On Wed, 26 Apr 2006, Berger, Daniel wrote:

> <snip>
>
> I'd rather have a class or instance level method that let me define this
> behavior globally for all hashes, or locally for instances.  That way I
> can keep the standard aref syntax, e.g. arg[:key] instead of using a
> separate method name.  I wouldn't mind a way to ignore case, either.
>
> h = {'foo', 1, 'BAR', 2}
> h.symbol_alias = true    # or whatever
> h.ignore_key_case = true # or whatever
>
> h['foo'] # 1
> h[:foo]  # 1
> h["FOO"] # 1
> h['bar'] # 2
> ... etc, etc.
>
> That being said, I'll take a Hash#getopt method over nothing. :)

i agreed.  the issue though, is that doing that sort of thing globally for
hashes requires a good bit of code to make something like this work

   opts.values_at :key, 'key'

or

   opts_a = {:key => 42}
   opts_b = {'key' => 42.0}

   opts_a.update opts_b


by sticking to access of options only it's possible to provide an easy way to
do the normal thing in 98% of cases.  as the above two examples show though, a
more general approach involves making lots of choices about string/symbol
interaction.  i actually do this in my own code but it's slippery and not for
general consumption.

regards.

-a
-- 
be kind whenever possible... it is always possible.
- h.h. the 14th dali lama