What is the answer to the bonus question in test_changing_hashes of Ruby Koans?
In the Ruby Koans, the section about_hashes.rb includes the following code and comment:
def test_changing_hashes
hash = { :one => "uno", :two => "dos" }
hash[:one] = "eins"
expected = { :one => "eins", :two => "dos" }
assert_equal true, expected == hash
# Bonus Question: Why was "expected" broken out into a variable
# rather than used as a literal?
end
I can't figure out the answer to the bonus question in the comment - I tried actually doing the substitution they suggest, and the result is the same. All I can figure out is that it is for readability, but I don't see general programming advice like that called out elsewhere in this tutorial.
(I know this sounds like something that would already be answered somewhere, but I can't dig up anything authoritative.)
It's because you can't use something like this:
assert_equal { :one => "eins", :two => "dos" }, hash
Ruby thinks that { ... }
is a block, so it should be "broken out into a variable", but you can always use assert_equal({ :one => "eins", :two => "dos" }, hash)
I thought it was more readable, but you can still do something like this:
assert_equal true, { :one => "eins", :two => "dos" } == hash