Rails - Nov 2006 - Newbie Q: Difference between methods that use () and methods that allow a .

Hello,

Can anyone offer a pointer so that I can understand that difference
between methods that use ( ) and methods that allow a .

If I want to use strip_tags, this will work for me:

    strip_tags("<b>cow</b>")

What I''m wondering is, why does this not work:

    "<b>cow</b>".strip_tags

but for a different method, say pluralize, this works:

    "cow".pluralize

For my particular usage, my code would be a lot cleaner if I could code
like so:

    @comment.name.strip_tags
    @comment.email.strip_tags
    @comment.url.strip_tags
    @comment.comment.strip_tags

instead, this is what I''m doing right now:

    @comment.name = strip_tags(@comment.name)
    @comment.email = strip_tags(@comment.email)
    @comment.url = strip_tags(@comment.url)
    @comment.comment = strip_tags(@comment.comment)

Thanks,

Sean


--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
 You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Ruby on Rails: Talk" group.
To post to this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

On Nov 30, 2006, at 17:46 , Sean Lerner wrote:
> If I want to use strip_tags, this will work for me:
>
>     strip_tags("<b>cow</b>")
>
> What I''m wondering is, why does this not work:
>
>     "<b>cow</b>".strip_tags
Because the String object you create by doing "<b>cow</b>"
doesn''t
have a strip_tags method.
> but for a different method, say pluralize, this works:
>
>     "cow".pluralize
Because String does have a pluralize method.
> For my particular usage, my code would be a lot cleaner if I could  
> code
> like so:
>
>     @comment.name.strip_tags
>     @comment.email.strip_tags
>     @comment.url.strip_tags
>     @comment.comment.strip_tags
There''s nothing stopping you from adding a strip_tags method to the  
String class:

class String
   def strip_tags
     .. do stuff ..
   end
end

Although based on the two examples you posted, you''d probably want to  
call the method strip_tags! and have it modify the current object  
instead of just returning the modified value like the strip_tags  
helper does.

--
Jakob Skjerning - http://mentalized.net



--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
 You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Ruby on Rails: Talk" group.
To post to this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---