Rails 3: alias_method_chain still used?

Question

I was just reading about Gems/Plugin development for Rails 3 and ran across this post that says that alias_method_chain is no longer used. I can see the method is still there in activesupport-3.0.0/lib/active_support/core_ext/module/aliasing.rb.

Should I still be using alias_method_chain in Rails 3?

Is this still reflective of the best practices for gems/plugins in Rails 3 that want to modify ActiveRecord?

Answer 1

I see that alias_method_chain is no longer present in Rails 3.0.0. http://api.rubyonrails.org/ doesn't report it and rails console reports it to be undefined local variable or method.

See Also - https://rails.lighthouseapp.com/projects/8994/tickets/285-alias_method_chain-limits-extensibility#ticket-285-20

Answer 2

No, it has been replaced by a clever use of method overriding in modules and the super keyword.

Basically, you define the original function in an included module, and override it in another included module. When you call super in the overriding function, it calls the original function. But there is one catch. You have to include the extending modules after including the base module, and in the order you want the chaining to occur.

class Something
  module Base  
    def my_method
      # (A) original functionality
    end
  end

  module PreExtension
    def my_method
      # (B) before the original
      super # calls whatever was my_method before this definition was made
    end
  end

  module PostExtension
    def my_method
      super # calls whatever was my_method before this definition was made
      # (C) after the original
    end
  end

  include Base # this is needed to place the base methods in the inheritance stack
  include PreExtension # this will override the original my_method
  include PostExtension # this will override my_method defined in PreExtension
end

s = Something.new
s.my_method 
#=> this is a twice extended method call that will execute code in this order:
#=> (B) before the original
#=> (A) the original
#=> (C) after the original

Ryan Bates of Railscasts talks about how this is used in the Rails Routing code. I'd recommend watching it, and his other screencasts. They have the power to transform a knitting grandmother into a Rails guru.

PS: Credit goes to Peeja for correcting a fundamental error in my original answer. Thanks.