From: Shashank Date <ADATE@...>
Date: 2002-08-21T10:11:15+09:00
Subject: Re: the power of ruby


> I keep looking at the last line and I cant seem to grasp its
> relationship, I mean, If the first set of '{}' are containing the loop
> from the '.times' method, how do the second set relate?

The .times method returns an int, try this :

C:\> ruby -e "puts 5.times{}"
5
C:\>

The block in curly brace: { |i| do_dot(i) } is only a parameter to .times.
Imagine it thus:

WIDTH.times( block_in_curly_brace)

Since the return value of  this function is an int you can cascade it to get

WIDTH.times( block_in_curly_brace).downto(0) { |i| do_dot(i) }

> Now i'm really confused. Thank you! ;-)

Hope I have not confused you more ;-)

-- Shanko

>
> >Yours is rather succinct, but I find that you can often capitalize
> >on return values of methods to shorten.  Shorten, right?  You're
> >looking for shorter?
>
> Im looking for exactly what you gave. different ways to express the
> same output in Ruby. Shorter, longer, obsfucated, clear.
> I just hope others will chime in and give some examples of their own
> style.
>
> >
> >Here's one:
> >
> >  WIDTH = 78
> >  def do_dot( i )
> >    puts( ( " " * i ) + "*" )
> >  end
> >  loop {
> >    WIDTH.times { |i| do_dot(i) }.downto(0) { |i| do_dot(i) }
> >  }
> >
> >Check ya later.
> >
> >_why
> >
> >AW (sturmpanzer@metacrawler.com) wrote:
> >>
> >> Here is my unimaginitive attempt.
> >>
> >> [code]==============================================
> >> WIDTH=78;
> >> def do_dot(i)
> >>        i.times{print " "}
> >>        puts "*";
> >> end
> >> loop{
> >>        0.upto(WIDTH-1){|i|
> >>                do_dot(i);
> >>        }
> >>        WIDTH.downto(1){|i|
> >>                do_dot(i);
> >>        }
> >> }
> >> [/code]=============================================
> >
>