How to write a destructive string method?

Ruby
1

I haven’t been able to figure out how to write a destructive string
method of my own. How do I change the value of “self”? This is what I
tried first:

class String
alias_method(:orig_upcase, :upcase)

def upcase
  orig_upcase.tr("åäö", "���")
end

def upcase!
  self = self.upcase
end

end

“upcase” works fine but “upcase!” doesn’t - “can’t change the value of
self”. Nor can I do (assuming another alias_method):

def upcase!
  self.old_upcase!
  self.tr!("åäö", "���")
end

or the same thing chained (self.old_upcase!.tr!(…)), because that only
returns nil. I’ve even grasped for straws like

def upcase!
  =(self.upcase)
end

with no luck. Very grateful for any help.

2

“H” == Henrik [email protected] writes:

H> def upcase!
H> self = self.upcase

      replace(upcase)

H> end
H> end

Guy Decoux

3

Henrik wrote:

I haven’t been able to figure out how to write a destructive string
method of my own. How do I change the value of “self”?

ri String#replace

I don’t know if that’ll help, 'cause I don’t know why this didn’t work:

def upcase!
self.old_upcase!
self.tr!(“åäö”, “Ã?Ã?Ã?”)
end

Devin

4

ts wrote:

“H” == Henrik [email protected] writes:

H> def upcase!
H> self = self.upcase

      replace(upcase)

H> end
H> end

Guy Decoux

Worked fine, thanks! Got some help on #ruby-lang, apparently you can do
stuff like the above and

self[0…-1] = “whatever”
but not
self = “whatever”

seeing as self is an object, not a variable - if anyone else was
wondering.

5

Henrik schrieb:

I haven’t been able to figure out how to write a destructive string
method of my own. How do I change the value of “self”? This is what I
tried first:

it makes no sense to change self, but you can change the data of self:

---- test.rb
class String
def makefirstA
self[0]= 65
self
end
end

x=“xxxx”
p x.makefirstA
p x
— end of test.rb

delivers

ruby test.rb
“Axxx”
“Axxx”

6

Henrik wrote:

Nor can I do (assuming another alias_method):

def upcase!
self.old_upcase!
self.tr!(“åäö”, “Ã?Ã?Ã?”)
end

or the same thing chained (self.old_upcase!.tr!(…)), because that only
returns nil.

I’d do it like this: (Ignoring the more obvious replace solution)

class String
alias :old_upcase! :upcase!
def upcase!()
old_upcase!
tr!(“åäö”, “Ã?Ã?Ã?”)
end

def upcase()
result = self.clone
result.upcase!
return result
end
end

7

On Fri, 6 Jan 2006, ts wrote:

“H” == Henrik [email protected] writes:

H> def upcase!
H> self = self.upcase

     replace(upcase)

“self = self.upcase”.replace(“replace(upcase)”)

(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

David

David A. Black
[email protected]

“Ruby for Rails”, from Manning Publications, coming April 2006!