From: Yukihiro Matsumoto <matz@...>
Date: 2008-12-05T02:56:39+09:00
Subject: Re: Enumerable#select used to return actual values

Hi,

In message "Re: Enumerable#select used to return actual values"
    on Fri, 5 Dec 2008 02:07:03 +0900, Trans <transfire@gmail.com> writes:

|> |> (1..10).collect{ |a| a * a if a > 5 }.compact

|> |And that's exactly what I suggested for #compact, to take a block but
|> |faster b/c it's one pass.
|>
|> I don't deny the existence of use case of such method (although I
|> cannot think of any realistic one right now), but its name should not
|> be #compact, since it does far more than compacting the receiver.
|
|Why do you say? Is not "compact conditionally on result of block" a
|good meaning?

As far as I understand, the word compact means removing empty spaces,
not transforming elements.  If you really want a method to transform
elements and to remove some of them at once, in the standard class
library, you have to coin the proper term.

|The implementation I have also allows an optional argument to define
|what is to be subjected to compacting.
|
|  [1,2,3].compact(1)  #=> [2,3]

For me, Array#compact sounds more like #squeeze in String class.
I think we have better term #remove, #delete, or #reject for that
purpose.  We should not overuse the term compact.  Am I wrong, native
speakers?


							matz.