From: Tom Cloyd <tomcloyd@...>
Date: 2008-03-17T02:13:00+09:00
Subject: Re: argh! more undocumented mysteries: to_yaml

Dave Thomas wrote:
>
> On Mar 16, 2008, at 11:37 AM, Tom Cloyd wrote:
>
>> Agreed - with all. And I own a copy of Pickaxe 2nd ed., in marvelous 
>> searchable PDF format (highly recommended). However, the to_yaml 
>> method is not documented in the discussion of the Object class - it's 
>> not reasonable to expect EVERYTHING to be covered, I'm sure.
>
> Tom:
>
> (page numbers below are for the printed copy)
>
> Page 758 is the description of the YAML standard library.
>
> Because it's a standard library, you know you need to use require 
> (page 653). And the examples on the YAML page all show the use of 
> require.
>
> I hadn't realized you owned a copy of the book--if I had, I could have 
> saved you time by pointing you at these pages.
>
> Just to reiterate: to_yaml is not a method of the built-in Object 
> class. That's why it doesn't appear in the documentation of object. 
> When you do <rewquire 'yaml'>, that library _adds_ the method to object.
>
>
> Dave Thomas
>
>
OK, but consider my situation: Using the online documentation (links to 
which I've already given), I see two things - to_yaml IS a part of 
Object class, AND it appears in association with MANY other classes. 
This is not only not a simple picture, it is downright misleading.

When that documentation tells me that it is a method of the Object 
class, I naively believe it. What else am I to do? I'm a beginner, after 
all. I tend to trust the experts. And, I note that this is a Very 
Important Class. I assume that if any class has received attention in 
its documentation, this would be at the top of the list.

I entered this fray well aware of the YAML library, as I've already made 
extensive us of it in two programs I wrote for my own (rather frequent) 
use. THIS method looked related BUT clearly part of the Object class. If 
the documentation is wrong, or simply inadequate, I can understand where 
things went wrong. Otherwise, I remain confused, as I don't see why a 
method of the Object class should be "required". I'll keep thinking on 
it, but I'm not hopeful of making sense of this.

Doing the best I can...

t.

-- 

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