Metaprogramming Ruby : program like the Ruby pros

Everyone in the Ruby world seems to be talking about metaprogramming--how you can use it to remove duplication in your code and write elegant, beautiful programs. Now you can get in on the action as well. This book describes metaprogramming as an essential component of Ruby. Once you understand the principles of Ruby, including the object model, scopes, and eigenclasses, you're on your way to applying metaprogramming both in your daily work and in your fun, after-hours projects. Learning metaprogramming doesn't have to be difficult or boring. By taking you on a Monday-through-Friday workweek adventure with a pair of programmers, Paolo Perrotta helps make mastering the art of metaprogramming both straightforward and entertaining. The book is packed with: Pragmatic examples of metaprogramming in action, many of which come straight from popular libraries or frameworks, such as Rails. Programming challenges that let you experiment and play with some of the most fun, "out-there" metaprogramming concepts. Metaprogramming __spells__--34 practical recipes and idioms that you can study and apply right now, to write code that is sure to impress. Whether you're a Ruby apprentice on the path to mastering the language or a Ruby wiz in search of new tips, this book is for you.

Everyone in the Ruby world seems to be talking about metaprogramming—how you can use it to remove duplication in your code and write elegant, beautiful programs. Now you can get in on the action as well.

This book describes metaprogramming as an essential component of Ruby. Once you understand the principles of Ruby, including the object model, scopes, and eigenclasses, you're on your way to applying metaprogramming both in your daily work and in your fun, after-hours projects.

Learning metaprogramming doesn't have to be difficult or boring. By taking you on a Monday-through-Friday workweek adventure with a pair of programmers, Paolo Perrotta helps make mastering the art of metaprogramming both straightforward and entertaining.

The book is packed with:

Pragmatic examples of metaprogramming in action, many of which come straight from popular libraries or frameworks, such as Rails. Programming challenges that let you experiment and play with some of the most fun, "out-there" metaprogramming concepts. Metaprogramming spells—34 practical recipes and idioms that you can study and apply right now, to write code that is sure to impress.

Whether you're a Ruby apprentice on the path to mastering the language or a Ruby wiz in search of new tips, this book is for you.

Metaprogramming Ruby (2010) (Elements)......Page 1 Contents......Page 7 Foreword......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 11 Introduction......Page 13 Metaprogramming Ruby......Page 26 Monday: The Object Model......Page 27 Tuesday: Methods......Page 60 Wednesday: Blocks......Page 91 Thursday: Class Definitions......Page 122 Friday: Code That Writes Code......Page 160 Epilogue......Page 188 Metaprogramming in Rails......Page 189 The Design of ActiveRecord......Page 190 Inside ActiveRecord......Page 206 Metaprogramming Safely......Page 224 Appendixes......Page 239 Common Idioms......Page 240 Domain-Specific Languages......Page 252 Spell Book......Page 256 Bibliography......Page 268 Index......Page 269 The Pragmatic Bookshelf......Page 278 Describes metaprogramming as an essential component of Ruby. This book helps readers to master the art of metaprogramming. It is packed with pragmatic examples of metaprogramming in action, many of which come straight from popular libraries or frameworks, such as Rails; programming challenges that let you experiment and play. I know a lot of people might be turned off by the idea of "metaprogramming", but this book is a very good, clear and concise description of how Ruby simply *works*, and even if you don't do a lot of funky things with it, it'll help you understand scope, inheritance, etc... Highly recommended.