Solution for Review Others, Refactor Yours: Pad an Array

Review_Others,_Refactor_Yours:_Pad_an_Array_solution.rb

# Solution for Challenge: Review Others, Refactor Yours: Pad an Array. Started 2014-01-13T02:14:42+00:00


# FIRST ATTEMPT
## ORIGIAL CODE:
class Array
  def pad!(min_size, value = nil)
    if self.length < min_size
      (min_size - self.length).times do
        self << value
      end
    end
    return self
  end

  def pad(min_size, value = nil)
    new_array = self.dup
    if new_array.length < min_size
      (min_size - new_array.length).times do
        new_array << value
      end
    end
    return new_array
  end
end


## FIRST REFACTORED CODE:
class Array
  def pad!(min_size, value = nil)
    while self.length < min_size
      self << value
    end
      return self
  end

  def pad(min_size, value = nil)
    padded = self.dup
    while padded.length < min_size
      padded << value
    end
      return padded
  end
end


## REVIEW PEERS' & REFACTOR
class Array
  def pad!(min_size, value = nil)
    self << value until self.length >= min_size
    self   
  end

  def pad(min_size, value = nil)
    self.clone.pad!(min_size, value)
  end
end


# REVIEW/REFLECT  I learned a lot from reviewing fellow boots solutions for
# this problem. I paritularly like the use of until. I haven't often found a
# good use for this, yet, but this problem seems to present with just that. I
# spent quite some time reviewing #dup vs. #clone and still do not feel
# completely confident in the difference. I think it will become more evident
# when we start creating programs with some complexity and can more easily
# observe shallow vs. deep copies and its effects on the attribtues and
# behavior of objects.