gistfile1.rb

def parse(name)
  case name
  when /^\[(.+)\](.+)\[(.+)\]$/
    [ $1 + $2 + $3, $1 + $2, $2 + $3, $2 ]
  when /^\[(.+)\](.+)$/
    [ $1 + $2, $2 ]
  when /^(.+)\[(.+)\]$/
    [ $1, $1 + $2 ]
  else
    [ name ]
  end
end

describe "parse" do 

  it "should list all permutations, text in brackets is optional" do
    strings = parse("foo[bar]")
    strings.should include('foo')
    strings.should include('foobar')
    strings.should_not include('bar')
    strings.size.should == 2
  end

  it "should list all permutations, text in brackets is optional" do
    strings = parse("[foo]bar")
    strings.should include('bar')
    strings.should include('foobar')
    strings.should_not include('foo')
    strings.size.should == 2
  end
 
  it "should list all permutations, text in brackets is optional" do
    strings = parse("[foo]bar[baz]")
    strings.should include('foobar')
    strings.should include('bar')
    strings.should include('barbaz')
    strings.should include('foobarbaz')
    strings.should_not include('foo')
    strings.should_not include('baz')
    strings.size.should == 4
  end

  it "should return the string, when there are no brackets" do
    strings = parse("foo")
    strings.should include('foo')
    strings.size.should == 1
  end

end

This looks really familiar... I think I'm working through a different section of the same tutorial?

I got it from here

I like it. It's a good pattern. I'm a noob to ruby (not to programming), but I picked this up at a glance. Thanks for posting it.

no problem