SimpleSymbolize

SimpleSymbolize takes a string and transforms it into a symbol. Why? Because working with symbols in Ruby makes for a good time.

Wait, doesn't String already have a to_sym method?

Correct! However, this gem takes it one step further by transforming special characters and whitespace to give you a simple easy to work with Symbol.

It works by removing special characters in a String like '!' and underscoring any whitespace.

# to_sym
'hello world!'.to_sym # => :"hello world!"

# Symbolize gem
'hello world!'.simple_symbolize # => :hello_world

Add this line to your application's Gemfile:

gem 'simple_symbolize'

And then execute:

$ bundle install

Or install it yourself as:

$ gem install simple_symbolize

There are three ways to use this gem.

require 'simple_symbolize'

SimpleSymbolize.symbolize('hello world!') # => :hello_world

Available methods:

require 'simple_symbolize'

String.include SimpleSymbolize::CoreExt::String

'hello world!'.simple_symbolize # => :hello_world

Available methods:

require 'simple_symbolize'

Symbol.include SimpleSymbolize::CoreExt::Symbol

:hello_world!.simple_symbolize # => :hello_world

Available methods:

Something not underscored or removed? Or even something underscored/removed that you didn't want transformed?

No sweat, you can configure this gem to underscore and remove to your hearts content!

SimpleSymbolize.translate do |trans|
  trans.to_underscore = '!'
  trans.to_remove = ' '
  trans.to_omit = '@'
end

Ruby 3.1 reached EOL in 2024, as such this gem no longer supports versions older than 3.2.

In previous iterations, certain non String/Symbol objects would be handled SimpleSymbolize.symbolze(true) returned :true.

To be consistent, SimpleSymbolize now only accepts String/Symbols, everything else will be returned.

Sometimes you want certain phrases to be in uppercase when camelizing, SimpleSymbolize now supports this.

SimpleSymbolize.translate { |t| t.camel_case_acronym = ['gb'] }

SimpleSymbolize.camelize('from gb') # => :fromGB (without setting the camel_case_acronym this would return :fromGb)

SimpleSymbolize now supports mixing in the methods on the Symbol class, allowing you to call simple_symbolize directly on a Symbol object.

Symbol.include SimpleSymbolize::CoreExt::Symbol
:hello_world!.simple_symbolize # => :hello_world

SimpleSymbolize is safe to use with other gems, particularly the popular ActiveSupport gem which SimpleSymbolize use to share certain methods names with.

You now need to deliberately mixin the methods on the String class:

String.include SimpleSymbolize::CoreExt::String

To make them easier to spot, the method names on the String class have been prefixed with simple_ to avoid confusion.

'Hello World!'.simple_symbolize #=> :hello_world
'Hello World!'.simple_elementize #=> 'hello_world'
'Hello World!'.simple_camelize #=> :helloWorld
'Hello World!'.simple_snakeize #=> :hello_world

The #snakeize method will return your object in snake_case. This is the default behaviour of the #symbolize method however #snakeize will always return thr Symbol in snake_case.

#to_snake_case extends the String class to return you your String object in snake_case format.

SimpleSymbolize.symbolize('helloWorld!') # => :hello_world

This is the default behaviour and can be switched off by setting #handle_camel_case to false

SimpleSymbolize.translate { |trans| trans.handle_camel_case = false }

Arrays are now supported when configuring the gem

SimpleSymbolize.translate { |trans| trans.to_underscore = %w[!&*] }

SimpleSymbolize has got new friends!

Introducing elementize and camelize.

Sometimes you just want a simple String obj without all the fuss. Elementize takes your String obj, removes that fuss and returns you a simple-to-use String.

SimpleSymbolize.elementize('hello world!') # => "hello_world"

Great for working with APIs that require fields in a JSON format. Camelize clears away the clutter and returns you a Symbolized object in camelCase.