Triangle.rb Notes - Metaprogramming Ruby

Metaprogramming Ruby

2012-10-09 by Joseph Jaber and Michael Stalker

What metaprogramming is

  • "Metaprogramming is writing code that manipulates language constructs at runtime"
  • "[Much] of the metaprogramming I see is either wrong or has an equivalent that's less confusing" - Gregory Brown, Ruby Rogues podcast

Why?

  • Understand other people's code
  • Solving more difficult problems
  • Level up as a programmer
  • Debugging

Use Cases

Dynamic methods

  • method_missing(missing_method, *args) (hackish)
  • define_method(method_name, &block)
  • send(method, *args)
  • Use << to define multiple class-level methods
    class Person
    class << self
    # in the meta-class!
    def whatever
    end
    end
    end
    # Person.whatever

Patterns

  • Open class

    • problem: need to modify a class
    • solution: reopen the class, directly or via including a namespaced module
      • module shows up in Class.ancestors
    • don't overwrite methods that already exists
    • don't overwrite inherited methods (uninitentionally)
    • don't modify too many core library classes
  • Method missing

    • if Ruby cannot find a method, it researches the class heirarchy for method_missing
    • Kernel#method_missing raises NoMethodError
    • call super if you cannot handle the missing method
    • debugging can be difficult
    • a class higher up in the ancestor chain could define a method you want to catch with method_missing
  • Blank slate

    • remove all instance methods from inherited classes (undef_method or inherit from BasicObject)
  • Around alias

    • modify existing methods
    • alias, or better, alias_method
    class Whatever
      alias_method :old_sentenceize, :sentenceize
      def sentenceize
        # stuffs...
        old_sentenceize
        # more stuffs...
      end
    end
    
    • you could break stuff
    • cannot use alias_method more than once per method
  • Include and extend

    • poor implementation example: paper_trail

Last Thoughts

  • Comment your metaprogrammed code
  • Carefully weigh options before resorting to metaprogramming
  • Can be difficult to debug