From: Mark Slagell <ms@...>
Date: 2001-10-10T02:50:49+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:22325] blocks with min and max

I don't know if this has been raised before, but I'd like to be able to
supply a simpler block to min and max, taking one argument instead of
two. Currently if objects of a class have some attribute, then finding
the object with the smallest such attribute means doing something like
this:

  largest = collection.max {|obj1, obj2| obj1.attrib <=> obj2.attrib}

... but this is characteristic of sorting logic, which does not
presuppose an order. min and max have sufficient inherent meaning that
it seems it should make sense to say

  largest = collection.max {|obj| obj.attrib}

Of course it's not a big deal except when the attribute expression gets
a little lengthy, as I came across in a recent project.

Any thoughts?

  Mark