From: Jan Reitz <jan@...>
Date: 2006-10-12T00:20:10+09:00
Subject: Re: PHP-like Array/Hash creation in Ruby


Logan Capaldo wrote:
> Yes, because since you can define [] for anything, ruby has no way of
> "guessing" what kind of container you want like PHP does.

i know that not only an array can have [], strings can have them too in
php, but for ease of use someone defined that if you use [] on an
undefinded variable it would become an array not a string, and since
noone uses []= on NilClass atm it could be used, to do just that in
ruby.
i don't ask "why not?", because most ruby users are not used to it and
wouldnt want it, but i do. i started to dislike php more and more, but
not because i can write $ary[1] = 'hans'; but because phps oo sucks
compared to ruby, the part with the $ary[1] = 'hans'; is better there.

you use the "a = []" shortcut too, its a shortcut by definition, it
says "make an Array", not a string, or something else that supports [].
just Array.new

> defining []= for nil is probably not a good idea. What I would suggest
> you do is create your own container that has the semantics you want, if
> you want to go down the route of writing additional code.

i just want an array, nothing more
ary = nil
ary[1] = 'moep'
ary.class
=> Array

OR

ary = Array.new(16) { Array.new 16 }
ary[99][99] = 'moep'
ary[99].class
=> Array

with a little typechecking on the parameter inside the brackets you
could even:

moep[:test_symbol] = "hans"
moep.class
=> Hash

moep2["string as key"] = "hans"
moep2.class
=> Hash

my problem is that if i have an multi dimensional array, and it needs
to grow (by itself if i assign values outside of the allocated space),
the newly created will be "nil" so i cant use my own class for that.

in c# 2.0 i would write
List<List<string>> mda = new List<List<string>>()
mda[99][99] = "test";

Tada, tested it and it does _not_ work, lol.....

BUT what hinders ruby to be better than that....

the question i ask is is it doable ?
can someone help solving ?
im stuck with this "cant reassign self" or whatever it said.