From: Dossy <dossy@...>
Date: 2002-05-15T19:30:47+09:00
Subject: Re: cgi params api

On 2002.05.15, Patrick May <patrick-may@monmouth.com> wrote:
> 
> Mixin CGI::Param instead of subclassing String, don't walk over any
> String methods.  Then the object is exactly what it is: a String with
> an Array mixed in.

Please explain, using executable Ruby code, how you would mix-in
CGI::Param instead of subclassing String.  Are you suggesting that
we mix-in CGI::Param into String, rather than making CGI::Param
be a subclass of String?  Like so:

class String
  include CGI::Param
end

I definitely think this is NOT the better way of going about
this.

> Using a mixin makes it easier to extend this metaphor to file uploads

Explain why the existing code isn't suitable for file uploads?
If 'foo' is the named parameter, then cgi['foo'] would return
you a CGI::Param whose value was the contents of the file.  Ruby
String can handle full 8-bit bytes and so they can completely
handle binary data.  cgi['foo'].to_s would return you a String
that contained the uploaded file.  I don't see what kind of
"extending of the metaphor" is necessary to handle file uploads.

-- Dossy

-- 
Dossy Shiobara                       mail: dossy@panoptic.com 
Panoptic Computer Network             web: http://www.panoptic.com/ 
  "He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own
    folly -- then you can let go and quickly move on." (p. 70)