Feature #21284: Request: add `Array#pad` method

• Status: Open
• Assignee: -
• Target version: -

[MatzFan (Brian Cohen)]

A method to pad an array of arbitrary length with objects up to a specified array size does not currently exist.

Array#fill does not do this and I therefore propose the following method:

class Array
  def pad(pad_to_length, object = nil)
    fill(object, size, pad_to_length - size)
  end
end

I have provided an answer to a Stack Overflow question asking how this can be done in Ruby. I've also explained in a comment on the answer which suggests using Array#fill why this does not meet the exact need.

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

It may be possible with Array#fill and start-exclusive range?

ary.fill(object, -1^..padding_length)

[MatzFan (Brian Cohen)]

When I try and run that code, e.g.

[1, 2, 3].fill(nil, -1^..10)

'Integer#^': Range can't be coerced into Integer (TypeError)

In any case pad(10) is much prettier IMHO.