[ruby-core:99778] [Ruby master Feature#13683] Add strict Enumerable#single
From:
eregontp@...
Date:
2020-08-30 11:26:25 UTC
List:
ruby-core #99778
Issue #13683 has been updated by Eregon (Benoit Daloze).
matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto) wrote in #note-10:
> Hmm, I don't like the name `single`.
matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto) wrote in #note-17:
> I don't like `only` either since these names do not describe the behavior.
Could you explain why?
I think `single` as in "return a single element or error out" is the best name here, and the most intuitive.
If I want a random element, then #sample already exists, so I don't think there would be any confusion to what `Array#single` or `Enumerable#single` would do.
`array.only` reads weirdly to me. `array.single` is so much nicer, no?
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Feature #13683: Add strict Enumerable#single
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/13683#change-87293
* Author: dnagir (Dmytrii Nagirniak)
* Status: Feedback
* Priority: Normal
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### Summary
This is inspired by other languages and frameworks, such as LINQ's [Single](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb155325%28v=vs.110%29.aspx) (pardon MSDN reference), which has very big distinction between `first` and `single` element of a
collection.
- `first` normally returns the top element, and the developer assumes
there could be many;
- `single` returns one and only one element, and it is an error if there
are none or more than one.
We, in Ruby world, very often write `fetch_by('something').first`
assuming there's only one element that can be returned there.
But in majority of the cases, we really want a `single` element.
The problems with using `first` in this case:
- developer needs to explicitly double check the result isn't `nil`
- in case of corrupted data (more than one item returned), it will never
be noticed
`Enumerable#single` addresses those problems in a very strong and
specific way that may save the world by simply switching from `first` to
`single`.
### Other information
- we may come with a better internal implementation (than `self.map`)
- better name could be used, maybe `only` is better, or a bang version?
- re-consider the "block" implementation in favour of a separate method (`single!`, `single_or { 'default' }`)
The original implementation is on the ActiveSupport https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/26206
But it was suggested to discuss the possibility of adding it to Ruby which would be amazing.
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