Metaprogramming Ruby 2: Program Like the Ruby Pros

Write powerful Ruby code that is easy to maintain and change. With metaprogramming, you can produce elegant, clean, and beautiful programs. Once the domain of expert Rubyists, metaprogramming is now accessible to programmers of all levels. This thoroughly revised and updated second edition of the bestselling Metaprogramming Ruby explains metaprogramming in a down-to-earth style and arms you with a practical toolbox that will help you write your best Ruby code ever.

Dig under the surface and explore Ruby’s most advanced feature: a collection of techniques and tricks known as metaprogramming. In this book, you’ll learn metaprogramming as an essential component of Ruby and discover the deep, non-obvious details of the language. Once you understand the tenets of Ruby, including the object model, scopes, and singleton classes, you’re on your way to applying metaprogramming both in your daily work assignments and in your fun, after-hours projects.

Metaprogramming Ruby, Second Edition makes mastering the language enjoyable. The book is packed with:

Pragmatic examples of metaprogramming in action, many of which come straight from real-life gems such as Rails.

Programming challenges that let you experiment and play with some of the most out-there metaprogramming concepts.

Metaprogramming “spells”–33 practical recipes and idioms that you can study and apply right now, to write code that is sure to impress.

This completely revised new edition covers the new features in Ruby 2.0 and 2.1, and contains code from the latest Ruby libraries, including Rails 4. Most examples are new, “from the wild,” with more recent libraries. And the book reflects current ideas of when and how much metaprogramming you should use.

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.

What You Need:

Ruby 2.x, Ruby 1.9, or a recent version of JRuby.

Table of Contents

Part I Metaprogramming Ruby
Chapter 1. The M Word
Chapter 2. Monday: The Object Model
Chapter 3. Tuesday: Methods
Chapter 4. Wednesday: Blocks
Chapter 5. Thursday: Class Definitions
Chapter 6. Friday: Code That Writes Code
Chapter 7. Epilogue

Part II Metaprogramming in Rails
Chapter 8. Preparing for a Rails Tour
Chapter 9. The Design of Active Record
Chapter 10. Active Support’s Concern Module
Chapter 11. The Rise and Fall of alias_method_chain
Chapter 12. The Evolution of Attribute Methods
Chapter 13. One Final Lesson

Part III Appendixes
Appendixes A1. Common Idioms
Appendixes A2. Domain-Specific Languages
Appendixes A3. Spell Book