# Using Rdoc when auto-creating methods

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-rdoc-when-auto-creating-methods/56084>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 28, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-rdoc-when-auto-creating-methods/56084 "2006-03-28T01:29:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![runxc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/3ec8ea/32.png) [@runxc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/runxc)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-rdoc-when-auto-creating-methods/56084/1 "2006-03-28T01:29:04Z")

</div>

For the Watir library, we had a lot of repetitive wrapper methods with  
a lot of duplicated logic. So i refactored the code. I’ve attached a  
portion of the code below.

This works fine, except for one thing. I can’t generate rdoc for the  
methods that are now created using these “macro” class methods. I’ve  
looked at the doc for rdoc and the -A flag, but nothing really seemed  
to work.

At this point, i am thinking that the best solution would be convert  
the comments into here documents, pass them as an additional argument  
to the class methods and then extend the methods to write out  
“prototype” methods, with comments, to a separate \*.rb file that rdoc  
could read (and then delete).

Has any one else ever run into a situation like this? Any other ideas?

Bret

```
    private
    def self.def_creator(method_name, klass_name=nil)
        klass_name ||= method_name.to_s.capitalize
        class_eval "def #{method_name}(how, what)
                      #{klass_name}.new(self, how, what)
                    end"
    end

    def self.def_creator_with_default(method_name, default_symbol)
        klass_name = method_name.to_s.capitalize
        class_eval "def #{method_name}(how, what=nil)
                      how, what = process_default

```

:#{default\_symbol}, how, what  
#{klass\_name}.new(self, how, what)  
end"  
end

```
    # this method is the main way of accessing a frame
    # * how - how the frame is accessed. This can also just be

```

the name of the frame  
# \* what - what we want to access.  
#  
# Typical usage:  
#  
# ie.frame(:index, 1)  
# ie.frame(:name, ‘main\_frame’)  
# ie.frame(‘main\_frame’) # in this case, just a name  
is supplied  
public  
def\_creator\_with\_default :frame, :name

```
    # this method is used to access a form.
    # available ways of accessing it are, :index, :name, :id,

```

:method, :action, :xpath  
# \* how - symbol - WHat mecahnism we use to find the  
form, one of the above. NOTE if what is not supplied this parameter is  
the NAME of the form  
# \* what - String - the text associated with the symbol  
def\_creator\_with\_default :form, :name

```
    # This method is used to get a table from the page.
    # :index (1 based counting) and :id are supported.
    # NOTE :name is not supported, as the table tag does not have

```

a name attribute. It is not part of the DOM.  
# :index can be used when there are multiple tables on a page.  
# :xpath can be used to select table using XPath query.  
# The first form can be accessed with :index 1, the second  
:index 2, etc.  
# \* how - symbol - the way we look for the table. Supported  
values are  
# - :id  
# - :index  
# - :xpath  
# \* what - string the thing we are looking for, ex. id,  
index or xpath query, of the object we are looking for  
def\_creator :table

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![runxc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/3ec8ea/32.png) [@runxc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/runxc)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-rdoc-when-auto-creating-methods/56084/2 "2006-03-28T01:41:35Z")

</div>

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006, Bret P. wrote:

> the comments into here documents, pass them as an additional argument  
> to the class methods and then extend the methods to write out  
> “prototype” methods, with comments, to a separate \*.rb file that rdoc  
> could read (and then delete).
> 
> Has any one else ever run into a situation like this? Any other ideas?

that’s a good approach. another is

# 

# docs describing this **family** of methods

# 

LIST\_OF\_ATTRIBUTES = %w[  
one  
two  
three  
]

LIST\_OF\_ATTRIBUTES.each{|m| gen\_method m}

which may be sufficient for you purposes.

-a