From: Tom Cloyd <tomcloyd@...>
Date: 2008-06-16T19:39:15+09:00
Subject: Re: how to stop gsub from returning nil

Robert Dober wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 9:58 AM, Tom Cloyd <tomcloyd@comcast.net> wrote:
>   
>> I'm trying to use gsub to do a number of transformations in an array of
>> strings. I find that when a particular transformation does NOT happen,
>> because the searched-for substring is not there, gsub returns nil. This
>> effectively ruins my output. I don't want nothing. I want the string that's
>> being processed, returned with or without any transformations. Is there any
>> alternative to testing for a return of nil before calling gsub, so as to
>> avoid the wiping out of my string? I've looked for something to use other
>> than String::gsub, and have not found anything.
>>
>> Code:
>>
>> filein = open( "{whatever}" )
>> fi = filein.readlines
>> delta = [ ["</p>", ''], ["</h1>", ''] ]
>> results = fi.collect do |x|
>>  delta.each do |y|
>>   debugger             x.gsub!(y[0], y[1])
>>  end
>> end
>>
>> t.
>>
>> --
>>
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Tom Cloyd, MS MA, LMHC
>> Private practice Psychotherapist
>> Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226
>> << tc@tomcloyd.com >> (email)
>> << TomCloyd.com >> (website & psychotherapy weblog)
>> << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health issues weblog)
>> << directpathdesign.com >> (web site design & consultation)
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>
>>
>>     
>
>
>
> Why not write a simple wrapper?
>
> Ruby 1.9
> class String
>    def mysub! *args, &blk
>        tap{ gsub!( *args, &blk ) }
>    end
> end
>
> Ruby 1.8 or 1.9 too ;)
>    ...
>    def mysub!...
>          gsub!....
>          self
>    end
>
>
> Cheers
> Robert
>   
Simple answer: I don't know the idiom. I have no idea what you just 
said. None. Wrappers in my world are for candy. (!) I haven't caught up 
yet with your *last* code, but I'm working on it. Then I'll go to work 
on THIS. I much appreciate the learning challenges you're sending my 
way. Hope some others are benefiting as well.

Thanks!

t.

-- 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Cloyd, MS MA, LMHC
Private practice Psychotherapist
Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226
<< tc@tomcloyd.com >> (email)
<< TomCloyd.com >> (website & psychotherapy weblog)
<< sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health issues weblog)
<< directpathdesign.com >> (web site design & consultation)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~