From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2006-05-22T00:58:49+09:00
Subject: Re: rubynuby - confused by method name "inject"

2006/5/21, ReggW <me@yourhome.com>:
> Jeff Pritchard wrote:
> > Can anybody explain to me how the Enumberable#inject method is
> > "injecting" something into something?  I find it very difficult remember
> > method names when I don't "get" them.  So far in Ruby, "inject" takes
> > the cake for least understandable method name (with my own particular
> > convoluted gray matter).
>
> I agree!!!!
>
>
> I have it marked in my "Ruby notes", as "Don't use".
> I do this so that when I come across it again, I won't spend 2 hours
> trying to make sense out of it's purpose.

Granted that it may take some time to understand it and to recognize
its power (took me a while, too), but - once you grokked it you'll be
amazed how much you can do with it.  A lot - if not all - methods in
Enumerable can be elegantly implemented with inject.  Try it out!
Also, when searching the archives you'll find quite a few postings
that show how something can be done with inject and often it's more
elegant than other methods.  Just compare the example that has been
shown in this thread with the version using each:

sum = 0
enum.each {|x| sum += x}
sum

enum.inject(0) {|sum, x| sum + x}

Kind regards

robert


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