Is there a built-in Ruby method for "reshaping" a hash? - ruby

Question

I have this hash which I retrieve from a database:
original_hash = {
:name => "Luka",
:school => {
:id => "123",
:name => "Ieperman"
},
:testScores => [0.8, 0.5, 0.4, 0.9]
}
I'm writing an API and want to return a slightly different hash to the client:
result = {
:name => "Luka",
:schoolName => "Ieperman",
:averageScore => 0.65
}
This doesn't work because the method reshape doesn't exist. Does it exist by another name though?
result = original_hash.reshape do |hash|
{
:name => hash[:name],
:school => hash[:school][:name],
:averageScore => hash[:testScores].reduce(:+).to_f / hash[:testScores].count
}
end
I'm new to Ruby so thought I'd ask before I go off overriding core classes. I'm sure it must exist as I always find myself reshaping hashes when writing an API. Or am I totally missing something?
The implementation is dead simple but, like I said, I don't want to override Hash if I don't need to:
class Hash
def reshape
yield(self)
end
end
BTW, I know about this:
result = {
:name => original_hash[:name],
:school => original_hash[:school][:name],
:averageScore => original_hash[:testScores].reduce(:+).to_f / original_hash[:testScores].count
}
But sometimes I don't have an original_hash variable and instead I'm operating straight off a return value, or I'm inside a one liner where this block based approach would be convenient.
Real World example:
#get the relevant user settings from the database, and reshape the hash into the form we want
settings = users.find_one({:_id => oid(a[:userID])}, {:emailNotifications => 1, :newsletter => 1, :defaultSocialNetwork => 1}).reshape do |hash|
{
:emailNotifications => hash[:emailNotifications] == 1,
:newsletter => hash[:newsletter] == 1,
:defaultSocialNetwork => hash[:defaultSocialNetwork]
}
end rescue fail

Answer 1

If you're using Ruby >= 1.9, try a combination of Object#tap and Hash#replace
def foo(); { foo: "bar" }; end
foo().tap { |h| h.replace({original_foo: h[:foo]}) }
# => { :original_foo => "bar" }
Since Hash#replace works in-place, you might find this a bit safer:
foo().clone.tap { |h| h.replace({original_foo: h[:foo]}) }
But this is getting a bit noisy. I'd probably go ahead and monkey-patch Hash at this stage.

Answer 2

From an API perspective, you may be looking for a representer object to sit between your internal model, and the API representation (prior to format-based serialisation). This doesn't work using the shortest, convenient Ruby syntax inline for a hash, but is a nice declarative approach.
For instance, the Grape gem (other API frameworks are available!) might solve the same real-world problem as:
# In a route
get :user_settings do
settings = users.find_one({:_id => oid(a[:userID])}, {:emailNotifications => 1, :newsletter => 1, :defaultSocialNetwork => 1})
present settings, :with => SettingsEntity
end
# Wherever you define your entities:
class SettingsEntity < Grape::Entity
expose( :emailNotifications ) { |hash,options| hash[:emailNotifications] == 1 }
expose( :newsletter ) { |hash,options| hash[:newsletter] == 1 }
expose( :defaultSocialNetwork ) { |hash,options| hash[:defaultSocialNetwork] }
end
This syntax is more geared towards handling ActiveRecord, or similar models, and not hashes though. So not a direct answer to your question, but I think implied by you building up an API. If you put in a representer layer of some kind now (not necessarily grape-entity), you will be thankful for it later, as you'll be better able to manage your model-to-API data mappings when they need to change.

Answer 3

You can replace the call to "reshape" with the builtin method Object#instance_eval and it will work exactly as such. Note however that there may be some unexpected behavior since you evaluating code in the context of the receiving object (e.g. if using "self").
result = original_hash.instance_eval do |hash|
# ...

Answer 4

This abstraction does not exist in the core but people uses it (with different names, pipe, into, as, peg, chain, ...). Note that this let-abstraction is useful not only for hashes, so add it to the class Object.
Is there a `pipe` equivalent in ruby?

Answer 5

if you put your hashes in a array you could use the map function to convert the entries

Answer 6

I can't think of anything that will do this magically, since you're essentially wanting to remap an arbitrary data structure.
Something you may be able to do is:
require 'pp'
original_hash = {
:name=>'abc',
:school => {
:name=>'school name'
},
:testScores => [1,2,3,4,5]
}
result = {}
original_hash.each {|k,v| v.is_a?(Hash) ? v.each {|k1,v1| result[ [k.to_s, k1.to_s].join('_') ] = v1 } : result[k] = v}
result # {:name=>"abc", "school_name"=>"school name", :testScores=>[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}
but this is incredibly messy and I'd personally be unhappy with it. Performing a manual transform on known keys is probaby better and more maintainable.

Answer 7

Check Facets Hash extensions.