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Feature #10270

closed

Hash#insert

Added by atlas (Atlas Prime) over 9 years ago. Updated over 9 years ago.

Status:
Feedback
Assignee:
-
Target version:
-
[ruby-core:65171]

Description

Hash doesn't appear to have a "safe" way to insert an entry that won't clobber another key if it is already there. So how about:

class Hash

  # Like Hash#store but only stores if the key isn't already
  # in the hash. Returns true if inserted, otherwise false.
  #
  def insert(name, value)
    if key?(name)
      false
    else
      store(name,value)
      true
    end
  end

end

Updated by matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto) over 9 years ago

  • Status changed from Open to Feedback
  1. I am not sure #insert is the best name for non clobbering merge.

  2. do you know merge takes a block to resolve key conflict?

    h.merge(h2) {|key,v1,v2|v1}

    works as your proposed #insert.

Matz.

Updated by atlas (Atlas Prime) over 9 years ago

The name "insert" seems good to me because it implies a new entry and unable to change an old entry. But key-value pair must be thought of as an entry too for it to make sense (I guess I get that notion from Java http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/util/Map.Entry.html).

I did not know that merge took this block. That could be useful. But it's not quite the same because insert returns true/false if successful of not. It's utility is mostly as a short cut for

if !h.key?(k)
  store(k,v)
  ...
end

Instead one can do

if h.insert(k,v)
  ...
end

However, you make me think it might be useful too if it could take a hash and a block.

def insert_merge(other, &block)
  other.each do |k, v|
    if key?(k)
      block.call(false, k, v)
    else
      store(k,v)
      block.call(true, k, v)
    end
  end
end
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