Gorillib: infochimps’ lightweight subset of ruby convenience methods

We love the conveniences provided by active_support and extlib, we just don’t love them at the same time and on top of each other. active_support is slow to load, has many dependencies, and is all intertwingled. We had too many collisions between active_support 2.x and 3.x and extlib.

What gorillib gives you is clarity over what features are brought in. If you want to just get Object#blank?, just require 'gorillib/object/blank'. No dependencies, no codependents.

  • No creep: include only what you need
  • No dependencies unless audaciously advertised.
  • Upwards compatible with active_record and extlib – the active_support components have significantly more robust internationalization, and some functions have rich option sets in active_support vs. basic functionality in gorillib. So the rule is if you were happy with gorillib you’ll be happy with active_support, but not vice-versa.

require ‘gorillib/receiver’

Gorillib has at least one powerful addition to the canon: the receiver mixin.

  • lightweight
  • gives you weak type safety but doesn’t jack around with setters/getters.
  • object/hash semantics

require ‘gorillib’

  • require ‘gorrillib/base’

require ‘gorillib/base’

requires the following libraries:

  • gorillib/object/blank
  • gorillib/hash/reverse_merge
  • gorillib/hash/compact
  • gorillib/array/compact_blank
  • gorillib/object/try

require ‘gorillib/some’

requires gorillib/base and the following additional libraries:

  • gorillib/logger/log.rb
  • set
  • time
  • date
  • gorillib/array/extract_options
  • gorillib/enumerable/sum
  • gorillib/datetime/flat
  • gorillib/datetime/parse
  • gorillib/hash/zip
  • gorillib/hash/slice
  • gorillib/hash/keys
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/class_attribute
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/cattr_accessor
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/singleton_class
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/remove_method

gorillib/array

  • gorrillib/array/extract_options – Array extract_options! – Hash extractable_options? (helper method)
  • gorrillib/array/compact_blank – Array compact_blank, compact_blank!
  • gorrillib/array/deep_compact – Array deep_compact, deep_compact!

gorillib/datetime

  • gorillib/datetime/flat – Date, Time to_flat
  • gorillib/datetime/parse – Time parse_safely

gorillib/enumerable

  • gorillib/enumerable/sum – Enumerable sum

gorillib/hash

  • gorillib/hash/compact – Hash compact, compact!, compact_blank, compact_blank!
  • gorrilib/hash/deep_compact – Hash deep_compact, deep_compact!
  • gorrilib/hash/deep_merge – Hash deep_merge, deep_merge!
  • gorillib/hash/keys – Hash stringify_keys, stringify_keys!, symbolize_keys, symbolize_keys! – Hash assert_valid_keys
  • gorillib/hash/reverse_merge – Hash reverse_merge, reverse_merge!
  • gorillib/hash/slice – Hash slice, slice!, extract!
  • gorillib/hash/zip – Hash Hash.zip

gorillib/logger

  • gorillib/logger/log – Unless the top-level constant ::Log has been defined, opens a new Logger to STDERR and assigns it to ::Log

gorillib/metaprogramming

  • gorillib/metaprogramming/aliasing – alias_method_chain
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/class_attribute – Class class_attribute
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/remove_method required with class_attribute – Module remove_possible_method, redefine_method
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/singleton_class required with class_attribute – Kernel singleton_class
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/cattr_accessor – Class# cattr_reader, cattr_writer, cattr_accessor
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/mattr_accessor – Class# mattr_reader, mattr_writer, mattr_accessor
  • gorillib/metaprogramming/delegation – Module# delegate

gorillib/numeric

  • gorillib/numeric/clamp – Numeric clamp — coerce a number to lie within a certain min/max

gorillib/object

  • gorillib/object/blank – Object blank?, present? (and specialized for all other classes)
  • gorillib/object/try – Object try
  • gorillib/object/try_dup – Object try_dup

gorillib/string

  • gorillib/string/constantize – String constantize
  • gorillib/string/inflections: – String camelize – String snakeize – String underscore – String demodulize
  • gorillib/string/human – String titleize – String humainze – Array as_sentence
  • gorillib/string/truncate – String truncate

Maybe and No

Maybe

  • Mash
  • Receiver
  • Struct
  • gorillib/string/escaping: DEPENDENCIES_: htmlentities, addressable/uri – String xml_escape – String url_escape – String escape_regexp, unescaperegexp
  • extlib/module/find_const – Module find_const

No

  • String classify — this singularizes. You want camelize unless you’re in ActiveSupport
  • Object tap isn’t necessary — included in 1.8.7+
  • Symbol to_proc isn’t necessary — included in 1.8.7+
  • Class class_inheritable_attribute — use class_attribute instead
  • Object to_flat on anything but Time and Date — poorly-defined
  • Object returning — deprecated in favor of #tap

Credits & Copyright

Most of this code is ripped from active_support and extlib — their license carries over. Everything else is Copyright © 2011 Infochimps. See LICENSE.txt for further details.