From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2006-05-06T05:33:23+09:00
Subject: Re: Extending Core Classes - Best Practices

2006/5/5, Pistos Christou <jesusrubsyou.5.pistos@geoshell.com>:
> Hi, all.
>
> I've been following the "Sharp knives and glue" thread.  It's gotten me
> thinking about the things I've already been doing with Ruby.  I wanted
> to ask for opinions on when it is good, bad, acceptable to extend core
> classes like String, Fixnum, Array, Hash.
>
> To be a bit more concrete: Would it be okay to tack on "is?" and "has?"
> type methods?  Contrived example:
>
> class String
>     VOGON_VOCABULARY = [
>         'freddled', 'gruntbuggly', 'micturations', 'plurdled',
>         'gabbleblotchits', 'lurgid', 'groop', 'foonting',
>         'turlingdromes', 'hooptiously', 'drangle', 'bindlewurdles',
>         'gobberwarts', 'blurglecruncheon',
>     ]
>
>     VOGON_REGEXP = /#{VOGON_VOCABULARY.join('|')}/i
>
>     def vogon?
>         ( VOGON_REGEXP =~ self ).respond_to? '>'
>     end
> end

What exactly do you intend to achieve with ".respond_to? '>'"?

And, btw, this sounds very specialized - it's certainly ok as part of
a script. I wouldn't put it into a lib though.

A simpler solution might be to just do

VOGON === "bluh"

where VOGON is your RX.

Kind regards

robert


--
Have a look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fussel-foto/