From: Pete Yandell <pete@...>
Date: 2007-07-04T09:10:58+09:00
Subject: Re: Using a block to surround a string?

Ivan Vega wrote:

> around_string('mystring') {|b, a| b = 'before'; a = 'after';}

You want:

   around_string('mystring') { ['before', 'after'] }

> def around_string(string, &block)
>     b, a = yield
>     "#{b}#{string}#{a}"
> end

And you wnat:

   def around_string(string)
     b, a = yield
     "#{b}#{string}#{a}"
   end

For a quick intro to blocks, see the five minute talk I gave on them 
last week:

   http://www.cogentconsulting.com.au/screencasts/index.html

A block, however, seems like a terrible way of doing this. Have you 
considered using an options hash?

   around_string('mystring', :before => 'before', :after => 'after')

   def around_string(string, *options)
     "#{options[:before]}#{string}#{options[:after]}"
   end


Pete Yandell
http://notahat.com/