From: Tom Sawyer <transami@...>
Date: 2002-08-04T03:05:49+09:00
Subject: Assoc Class (Hash Pairs)

i've been thinking about posting this as an RCR.

i would really like to see hash pairs (associations) become real
objects. i think it would be a very powerful and useful construct. there
are number of things one could then do. The simpliest obviosuly being:

  x = 'a'=>1
  y = 'b'=>2

  hash = { x, y }

ordered hashes also become a snap, implemented as arrays of these
associations:

  ordhash = [ x, y ]

or, without the above x and y assignments, just

  ordhash = [ 'a'=>1 , 'b'=>2 ]

this association class (Assoc?) would of course mixin the comparable
module.

the Assoc class becomes very useful when you start to build more comlex
structures (what i would like to use it for):

  c = [ 'a'=>1, 's' ]

this is a very simple example, but without the Assoc you'd have to write
this as:
  
  c = { 'a'=>1, 's'=>nil }

adding a useless nil, or

  c = [ ['a', 1], 's' ]

whereby you have to use indexes on the association.

i'm sure there are other uses as well, and i think it may be possible
that such an Assoc class combined with arrays could ultimatly displace
regular hashes altogether.

-- 
~transami