From: Robert Dober <robert.dober@...>
Date: 2007-01-03T20:11:26+09:00
Subject: Re: Mini-RCR: Extra Argument for Array#join

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I got so taken away by optimizing, I missed my point!
I feel that #join should be left alone, if a more powerful
String#<something> is to be needed maybe it would be better to call it
<something> than I feel too that having a prefix or postfix join available.
A *strange* syntax would be possible (that's why it is not good, but I love
it)
def <something> sep=$,, joins={}

list = %{Something blue smth new smth borrowed}
list.something( ', ' -2 => "and" )  => "Something, blue, smth, new, smth and
borrowed"
list.something( ', ' 0 => "{", -1 => "}" ) => "{Something, blue, smth, new,
smth, borrowed}"

now that is nonesense of course and might not work in 1.9/2.0???
let us be reasonable

list.something(:sep => ", ", :odd => "")  => "Something blue, smth new, smth
borrowed"
list.something(:sep => ", ", :odd => "", :last_even => "and" ) =>
              "Something blue, smth new and smth borrowed"
and in full form we would have
(0..9).something( :pre => "<", :suff => ">", :even => "_",  :odd => "-",
:index => [5, "*"] ) =>
             "<0-1_2-3_4*5_6-7_8-9>"

That all still might be nonsense/bloat but I have gone to extremes to show
why I think it would not be String#join anymore and thus should not be
called String#join

If OTOH a majority thinks enhancing String#join, what about a block
enhancement

list.join do
   |ele, index|
   (index % 2).zero? ? : "," ? "*" # might be nice to change sep on value of
ele too.
end

cheers
Robert
-- 
"The real romance is out ahead and yet to come. The computer revolution
hasn't started yet. Don't be misled by the enormous flow of money into bad
defacto standards for unsophisticated buyers using poor adaptations of
incomplete ideas."

- Alan Kay

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