From: grady@... (Steven Grady)
Date: 2002-01-31T07:04:36+09:00
Subject: MethodFinder

For your amusement (and perhaps edification and/or utility), here is
some code to find methods which when invoked on specified objects,
provide a given result.  This is inspired by the Squeak MethodFinder
class.  This is much simpler in various ways.  I just whipped this
together, so I'm sure there are possible improvements.

#!/usr/local/bin/ruby

class Array
  def permutations
    if size < 2
      return [self]
    end
    perm = []
    each {|e|
      (self - [e]).permutations.each {|p|
        perm << ([e] + p)
      }
    }
    perm
  end
end

$DummyOut = Object.new
class << $DummyOut
  def write(aString)
  end
end

def methodFinder(operands, result)
  methodsFound = []
  # Avoid producing default output, e.g. for String#display
  saveOut = $>
  $> = $DummyOut
  operands.each {|obj|
    obj.methods.each {|m|
      (operands-[obj]).permutations.each {|args|
        meth = obj.dup.method(m)
        if meth.arity == args.length or meth.arity < 0 then
          begin
            if meth.call(*args) == result then
              pretty = nil
              if m !~ /\w/ then
                pretty = "#{obj.inspect} #{m} #{args}"
              elsif meth.arity == 0 then
                pretty = "#{obj.inspect}.#{m}"
              else
                pretty = "#{obj.inspect}.#{m}(#{args.join(',')})"
              end
              methodsFound << pretty
            end
          rescue Exception
          end
        end
      }
    }
  }
  $> = saveOut
  methodsFound
end

puts methodFinder(['foo'], 'oof').join(', ')
# -> "foo".reverse!, "foo".reverse

puts methodFinder([2, 4], false).join(', ')
# -> 2 > 4, 2 == 4, 2 >= 4, 2 === 4, 2.eql?(4), 2.equal?(4), 2 =~ 4, 4
< 2, 4 == 2, 4 <= 2, 4 === 2, 4.eql?(2), 4.equal?(2), 4 =~ 2

puts methodFinder([1.5, 1], 2).join(', ')
# -> 1 << 1.5

puts methodFinder(["hello", 0..0], "h").join(', ')
# -> "hello".slice(0..0), "hello" [] 0..0, "hello".slice!(0..0)

--
    Steven
"In accordance with our principles of free enterprise and
healthy competition, I'm going to ask you two to fight to
the death for it."