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.

Example

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

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

Installation

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

Usage

There are three ways to use this gem.

SimpleSymbolize

require 'simple_symbolize'

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

Available methods:

Method	What does it do?
symbolize	Returns your object as a plain old symbol
elementize	Returns your object as a plain old String
camelize	Returns your object as a plain old camelCase symbol
snakeize	Returns your object as a plain old snake_case symbol (very similar to symbolize, only it does not respect the handle_camel_case setting)

Mixing into String

require 'simple_symbolize'

String.include SimpleSymbolize::CoreExt::String

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

Available methods:

Method	What does it do?
simple_symbolize	Returns your object as a plain old symbol
simple_elementize	Returns your object as a plain old String
simple_camelize	Returns your object as a plain old camelCase symbol
simple_snakeize	Returns your object as a plain old snake_case symbol (very similar to symbolize, only it does not respect the handle_camel_case setting)

Mixing into Symbol

require 'simple_symbolize'

Symbol.include SimpleSymbolize::CoreExt::Symbol

:hello_world!.simple_symbolize # => :hello_world

Available methods:

Method	What does it do?
simple_symbolize	Returns your object as a plain old symbol
simple_elementize	Returns your object as a plain old String
simple_camelize	Returns your object as a plain old camelCase symbol
simple_snakeize	Returns your object as a plain old snake_case symbol (very similar to symbolize, only it does not respect the handle_camel_case setting)

Configuration

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

Updates!

V5

Dropped support for Ruby < 3.2

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

Only deals with Strings and Symbols

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.

Uppercase acronyms when camelizing

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)

---

V4.1

Symbol methods can now be Mixed in

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

---

V4

String methods now need to be Mixed in

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

Introducing #snakeize

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.

---

V3

String to_snake_case [DEPRECATED - replaced with #simple_snakeize in v4]

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

Handle camelCase with Symbolize

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 }

Additional ways to configure SimpleSymbolize

Arrays are now supported when configuring the gem

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

---

V2

SimpleSymbolize has got new friends!

Introducing elementize and camelize.

Elementize

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"

Camelize

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.