From: Peter Ehrlich <crazedcougar@...>
Date: 2011-05-01T17:44:48+09:00
Subject: update variables based on own value - critique please?

Hey!

First, some background.  The goal here is an experiment to make the best
code that I can.  My challenge is with returning JSON in an ajax
request.  In a standard http request, rails view templates would handle
preparing the data -- pluralizing, capitalizing, whatever.  However,
there's no view in this case.

The simple approach looks like this:

 def json_for_view
    rounds['last_pushed']['c_score'] = time_ago_in_words
DateTime.parse(rounds[:last_pushed][:c_score])
    rounds['last_pushed']['d_score'] = time_ago_in_words
DateTime.parse(rounds[:last_pushed][:d_score])
    rounds['last_pushed']['c_score'] = Date.parse
rounds[:c_score].to_s(:'January 1, 2011')
    rounds['last_pushed']['d_score'] = Date.parse
rounds[:d_score].to_s(:'January 1, 2011')
    rounds.to_json
end

I see a couple of problems here:
 - the field keys are specified first.  This is not DRY.  (etc all the
headaches of non dry code)
 - A nicer feel would be if there was a method applied to each value,
like rounds[:last_pushed][:d_score].make_pretty


Here's what I've come up with:



# lib/toolbox.rb
class Object
  def send_updates!(hash)
    # updates values based on blocks passed in a hash

    hash.each do |key, block|
        self[key] = block.call(self[key]) if self[key]
    end

  end
end


# the model file
 def json_for_view
    rounds = JSON.parse(self.rounds)

    pushed_pretty  = lambda { |score|
time_ago_in_words(DateTime.parse(score))    }
    created_pretty = lambda { |score| Date.parse(score).to_s(:'January
1, 2011') }

    rounds['last_pushed'].send_updates!({
      'c_score' => pushed_pretty,
      'd_score' => pushed_pretty
    })
    rounds['created_at'].send_updates!({
      'c_score' => created_pretty,
      'd_score' => created_pretty
    })

    rounds.to_json
  end



Thoughts?

Is this a common problem?

Is there a common solution?

Am I doing something wrong which causes this to be an issue?

By the way -- is there any way to have json parse return keys as
symbols?  I think that would be nice.

Cheers & Thanks,
--Peter

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