Refactoring Ruby : Converting string array to int array

11,102

You could replace the explicit iteration of each by a map operation:

move_request.chomp.split(',').map { |x| x.to_i }

A more concise way of writing this as proposed by @tokland is :

move_request.chomp.split(',').map(&:to_i)

It avoids explicitly writing a block and also choosing a variable name like x which is not relevant as any name would do.

Please have a look at stackoverflow post What does to_proc method mean?

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steve_gallagher
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steve_gallagher

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Updated on June 16, 2022

Comments

  • steve_gallagher
    steve_gallagher over 1 year

    I'm refactoring a checkers program, and I am trying to process a players move request (in the form of "3, 3, 5, 5" for example) into an int array. I have the following method, but it doesn't feel as Ruby-like as I know it could be:

    def translate_move_request_to_coordinates(move_request)
        return_array = []
        coords_array = move_request.chomp.split(',')
        coords_array.each_with_index do |i, x|
          return_array[x] = i.to_i
        end
        return_array
      end
    

    I have the following RSpec test with it.

    it "translates a move request string into an array of coordinates" do
          player_input = "3, 3, 5, 5"
          translated_array = @game.translate_move_request_to_coordinates(player_input)
          translated_array.should == [3, 3, 5, 5]
        end 
    

    The test passes, but I think the code is pretty ugly. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

    Steve

  • tokland
    tokland about 12 years
    move_request.split(",").map(&:to_i)
  • Ludovic Kuty
    Ludovic Kuty about 12 years
    +1: I didn't know it. There an interesting explanation of it in the book "Programming Ruby 1.9" from the Pragmatic Bookshelf in section "The Symbol.to_proc Trick" on page 363 (4th printing, May 2011).