From: "boris_stitnicky (Boris Stitnicky)" <boris@...>
Date: 2012-10-15T13:47:59+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:47995] [ruby-trunk - Feature #7149] Constant magic for everyone.


Issue #7149 has been updated by boris_stitnicky (Boris Stitnicky).


Not out of the box, only if the user turns it on:

  class Fixnum
    constant_magic # or constant_magic( true ); or const_magic(); etc.
  end

But, oh, do I feel your point. Saying that naming 42 is stupid is not enough.
Giving objects - any objects, not just fringe cases like Numerics, Symbols,
Vectors etc. - wrong names is a sin, root of evil surrounding the true nature :)
They say the devil himself is perhaps skin alone. I revulse names, unless these
be good hash functions, like those of Tolkien's Ents. But alas, biologists
deserve not the name of their science: they indulge in dissecting and giving
names that obscure rather than identify. Should this be remedied at the language
level? Definitely. But there is no way we would see this done before the end of
the century, if at all.

So, sadly, I have to live in the world I find myself in, refrain from proposing
to prohibit constants altogether, and satisfy myself with proposals that seem to
even foster the evil of deficient synonyms. Going back to naming 42, please note
that the rope to hang oneself with is already there: This behavior is achievable
with present devices of Ruby. I am only begging to make the possible more efficient.
Searching whole namespace gives me goosebumps.
----------------------------------------
Feature #7149: Constant magic for everyone.
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/7149#change-30704

Author: boris_stitnicky (Boris Stitnicky)
Status: Feedback
Priority: Normal
Assignee: 
Category: 
Target version: 


I noticed that certain objects have constant magic: When they are first assigned to a constant, they acquire a name property equal to the constant name string. I only know about Class and Struct objects behaving this way. I like this behavior, because I like to be able to say something like:

Adenosine = ChemicalSpecies.new initial_concentration: 5.micromolar
Adenosine.name #=> "Adenosine"

I like it so much, that I wrote a library (I call it ConstantMagicErsatz) for myself that searches whole namespace for the new objects assigned to constants. But searching whole wild namespace has its pitfalls. It is a wildly difficult workaround to get the candy I want. I am dreaming about just being able to say:

class ChemicalSpecies
  constant_magic true
end

and imbue ChemicalSpecies with the same constant magic ability that Class and Struct classes have. Could it be made possible, please?


-- 
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