Create a ruby function that accepts a hash of parameters

Question

I know this may be a stupid question, but I don't know how to create a ruby function that accepts a hash of parameters. I mean, in Rails I'd like to use a function like this:

login_success :msg => "Success!", :gotourl => user_url

What is the prototype of a function that accepts this kind of parameters? How do I read them?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

If you pass paramaters to a Ruby function in hash syntax, Ruby will assume that is your goal. Thus:

def login_success(hsh = {})
  puts hsh[:msg]
end

Answer 2

A key thing to remember is that you can only do the syntax where you leave out the hash characters {}, if the hash parameter is the last parameter of a function. So you can do what Allyn did, and that will work. Also

def login_success(name, hsh)
  puts "User #{name} logged in with #{hsh[:some_hash_key}"
end

And you can call it with

login_success "username", :time => Time.now, :some_hash_key => "some text"

But if the hash is not the last parameter you have to surround the hash elements with {}.