From: Daniel Schierbeck <daniel.schierbeck@...>
Date: 2006-05-28T17:37:14+09:00
Subject: Crazy thought -- Rubyish type conversion?

Now, I'm sure you'll all hate this, but I just had to post it.

What if optional "type hinting", or, more accurately, "type conversion", 
was added to the method definition syntax?

   def foo(str bar, i baz, sym bur)
     # something
   end

would then be the same as

   def foo(arg1, arg2, arg3)
     bar, baz, bur = arg1.to_str, arg2.to_i, arg3.to_sym
   end

I know it would save me a lot of typing -- plus, it's still dynamic; it 
wouldn't (necessarily) require the return values of the #to_* calls to 
be instances of a certain class.

I know that some of you prefer to just call methods on the received 
arguments, and not use the #to_* methods first to convert them to a 
certain "type", but this proposal/idea wouldn't in any way make that 
more difficult than it is today.

Well, it's just an idea.

(putting on my flame-proof suit)


Daniel