It’s easy to write correct Ruby code, but to gain the fluency needed to write great Ruby code, you must go beyond syntax and absorb the “Ruby way” of thinking and problem solving. In Eloquent Ruby, Russ Olsen helps you write Ruby like true Rubyists do–so you can leverage its immense, surprising power.
Olsen draws on years of experience internalizing the Ruby culture and teaching Ruby to other programmers. He guides you to the “Ah Ha!” moments when it suddenly becomes clear why Ruby works the way it does, and how you can take advantage of this language’s elegance and expressiveness.
Eloquent Ruby starts small, answering tactical questions focused on a single statement, method, test, or bug. You’ll learn how to write code that actually looks like Ruby (not Java or C#); why Ruby has so many control structures; how to use strings, expressions, and symbols; and what dynamic typing is really good for.
Next, the book addresses bigger questions related to building methods and classes. You’ll discover why Ruby classes contain so many tiny methods, when to use operator overloading, and when to avoid it. Olsen explains how to write Ruby code that writes its own code–and why you’ll want to. He concludes with powerful project-level features and techniques ranging from gems to Domain Specific Languages.
A part of the renowned Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series, Eloquent Ruby will help you “put on your Ruby-colored glasses” and get results that make you a true believer.
Table of Contents:
Foreword xix
Preface xxi
Acknowledgments xxv
About the Author xxvii
PART I: The Basics 1
Chapter 1: Write Code That Looks Like Ruby 3
The Very Basic Basics 4
Go Easy on the Comments 6
Camels for Classes, Snakes Everywhere Else 8
Parentheses Are Optional but Are Occasionally Forbidden 9
Folding Up Those Lines 10
Folding Up Those Code Blocks 11
Staying Out of Trouble 12
In the Wild 13
Wrapping Up 15
Chapter 2: Choose the Right Control Structure 17
If, Unless, While, and Until 17
Use the Modifier Forms Where Appropriate 19
Use each, Not for 20
A Case of Programming Logic 21
Staying Out of Trouble 23
In the Wild 25
Wrapping Up 27
Chapter 3: Take Advantage of Ruby’s Smart Collections 29
Literal Shortcuts 29
Instant Arrays and Hashes from Method Calls 30
Running Through Your Collection 33
Beware the Bang! 36
Rely on the Order of Your Hashes 38
In the Wild 38
Staying Out of Trouble 40
Wrapping Up 42
Chapter 4: Take Advantage of Ruby’s Smart Strings 43
Coming Up with a String 44
Another API to Master 47
The String: A Place for Your Lines, Characters, and Bytes 49
In the Wild 50
Staying Out of Trouble 51
Wrapping Up 52
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About the Author :
Russ Olsen’s career spans three decades, during which he has written everything from graphics device drivers to document management applications. These days, he diligently codes GIS, web service security, and process automation solutions. He spends much of his otherwise free time writing and speaking about programming, especially Ruby and Clojure. His first book was the highly regarded Design Patterns In Ruby (Addison-Wesley, 2007). He is also the lurking presence behind the Technology As If People Mattered blog at www.russolsen.com.
Review :
R>Eloquent Ruby is like programming in Ruby itself: fun, surprisingly deep, and you'll find yourself wishing it was always done this way. Wherever you are in your Ruby experience from novice to Rails developer, this book is a must read.
