From: Michael Brailsford <brailsmt@...>
Date: 2002-07-23T15:12:13+09:00
Subject: Re: attr_reader for great number of instance vars

> I'm building a parser class which uses a separate token class to store 
> regexes about to help recognize custom markup tags.

If these tokens are a static entity (ie. they are predefined), then you
can use a Struct.

In which case your Tokens class becomes:

Tokens = Struct.new("Tokens", :start_link, :end_link, :bold)
t = Tokens.new(/\[\[/, /\]\]/, /\*\*/)

Which does the same thing as your Token class below, with the addition
that the Struct also provides "attr_writer" for each attribute of the
Tokens class.

> class Tokens
>   attr_reader( :start_link, :end_link, :bold )
>   def initialize
>     @start_link = /\[\[/
>     @end_link = /\]\]/
>     @bold = /\*\*/
>   end
> end

The following is from 'ri Struct'.  "A Struct is a convenient way to
bundle a number of attributes together, using accessor methods, without
having to write an explicit class."  That seems to me to be what you
want.

-Michael