Person Name Forms Evolution

name_format.rb

class NameFormat

  attr_reader :first_name, :last_name, :middle_name

  def initialize(person)
    @person = person
    @first_name = person.first_name
    @last_name = person.last_name
    @middle_name = person.middle_name

    @forms = []
  end

  def name_forms

    @forms << "#{first_name[0..0]} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    @forms << "#{first_name[0..0]} #{middle_name[0..0]} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    @forms << "#{first_name[0..0]} #{middle_name} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    @forms << "#{first_name} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    @forms << "#{first_name} #{middle_name[0..0]} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    @forms << "#{first_name} #{middle_name} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?

    @forms
  end
end

person.rb

class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
  # Larger model with many methods
  #
  # ....
  #
  # We want to retrieve an array of different name forms for the member. 
  # This is used as a helper method to pass to a search engine as an 
  # initial filter.
  #
  # For instance, if my name was "John James Doe",  this would create:
  #
  # >> person = Person.find(1)
  #
  # >> person.full_name
  # => "John James Doe"
  #
  # >> person.get_name_forms
  # => ["J Doe", "J J Doe", "J James Doe", "John Doe", "John J Doe", "John James Doe"]
  def get_name_forms
    name_forms = []

    name_forms << "#{first_name[0..0]} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    name_forms << "#{first_name[0..0]} #{middle_name[0..0]} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    name_forms << "#{first_name[0..0]} #{middle_name} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    name_forms << "#{first_name} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    name_forms << "#{first_name} #{middle_name[0..0]} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?
    name_forms << "#{first_name} #{middle_name} #{last_name}".squeeze(' ') unless first_name.blank? or middle_name.blank? or last_name.blank?

    name_forms
  end
end

person_name_form.rb

require 'active_support/core_ext/object/blank.rb' # We use the #blank? helper method. No need to re-invent the wheel.

module Formatter
  class PersonNameForm
    attr_reader :first, :middle, :last

    def initialize(first, middle, last)
      @first  = (first  || '')
      @middle = (middle || '')
      @last   = (last   || '')
    end

    def self.for_full_name(first, middle, last)
      klass = self.new(first, middle, last)
      klass.forms
    end

    def first_initial
      get_initial(self.first)
    end

    def middle_initial
      get_initial(self.middle)
    end

    def last_initial
      get_initial(self.last)
    end

    def forms
      forms ||= []

      forms << ("%s %s"    % [self.first_initial, self.last]).strip.squeeze(' ')
      forms << ("%s %s %s" % [self.first_initial, self.middle_initial, self.last]).strip.squeeze(' ')
      forms << ("%s %s %s" % [self.first_initial, self.middle, self.last]).strip.squeeze(' ')
      forms << ("%s %s"    % [self.first, self.last]).strip.squeeze(' ')
      forms << ("%s %s %s" % [self.first, self.middle_initial, self.last]).strip.squeeze(' ')
      forms << ("%s %s %s" % [self.first, self.middle, self.last]).strip.squeeze(' ')

      forms.reject(&:blank?).uniq
    end

    private
    def get_initial(part)
      part.to_s[0..0]
    end
  end
end

person_name_form_spec.rb

require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'location/to/ib/formatter/person_name_form')

describe Formatter::PersonNameForm do
  subject { described_class.new('Lester', 'Bart', 'Tester') }

  it "returns the initial of the first name" do
    subject.first_initial.should == "L"
  end

  it "returns the initial of the middle name" do
    subject.middle_initial.should == "B"
  end

  it "returns the initial of the last name" do
    subject.last_initial.should == "T"
  end

  it "returns all possible name forms" do
    subject.forms.should =~ ["L Tester", "L B Tester", "L Bart Tester", "Lester Tester", "Lester B Tester", "Lester Bart Tester"]
  end

  context "Class methods" do
    it "returns the name forms for a provided full name" do
      described_class.for_full_name("Lester", "A", "Tester").should =~ ["L A Tester", "L Tester", "Lester A Tester", "Lester Tester"]
    end
  end

  context "With only first and last name" do
    subject { described_class.new('Lester', nil, 'Tester') }

    it "returns an empty string for the middle initial" do
      subject.middle_initial.should == ''
    end

    it "returns all possible name forms" do
      subject.forms.should =~ ["L Tester", "Lester Tester"]
    end
  end

  context "Empty strings provided for all name parts" do
    subject { described_class.new('','','') }

    it "returns an empty string for #first_initial" do
      subject.first_initial.should == ''
    end

    it "returns an empty string for #middle_initial" do
      subject.middle_initial.should == ''
    end

    it "returns an empty string for #last_initial" do
      subject.last_initial.should == ''
    end

    it "returns an empty array for all possible name forms" do
      subject.forms.should == []
    end
  end

  context "Nil values provided for all name parts" do
    subject { described_class.new(nil, nil, nil) }

    it "returns an empty string for #first_initial" do
      subject.first_initial.should == ''
    end

    it "returns an empty string for #middle_initial" do
      subject.middle_initial.should == ''
    end

    it "returns an empty string for #last_initial" do
      subject.last_initial.should == ''
    end

    it "returns an empty array for all possible name forms" do
      subject.forms.should == []
    end
  end

  context "When initials are provided for all name parts" do
    subject { described_class.new('L', 'B', 'T') }

    it "returns all possible name forms" do
      subject.forms.should =~ ['L B T', 'L T']
    end
  end

  context "When initials have a period" do
    subject { described_class.new('D.J.', 'M.', 'F.') }

    it "returns all possible name forms" do
      subject.forms.should =~ ["D F.", "D M F.", "D M. F.", "D.J. F.", "D.J. M F.", "D.J. M. F."]
    end
  end
end

person_spec.rb

require 'spec_helper' # This file loads our less than fast Rails environment

describe Person do
  # This file contains many more test blocks for all of the methods in our
  # larger Person model.
  context "Person Name Forms for Search" do
    subject { Factory.build(:person, :first_name => 'Lester', :middle_name => 'The', :last_name => 'Tester') }

    it "returns an array of name form variations" do
      subject.get_name_forms.should =~ ["L Tester", "L T Tester", "L The Tester", "Lester Tester", "Lester T Tester", "Lester The Tester"]
    end
  end
end

spec_helper_no_rails.rb

module ActiveRecord; end
module ActiveRecord::Base; end

class Person < ActiveRecord::Base; end