= Backports Library

Essential backports that make it possible to use some of the really nice features of Ruby 1.8.7, Ruby 1.9 and rails from Ruby 1.8.x

Conditions for inclusion:
1. Standard in either Ruby or Rails
2. Won't break older code
3. Simple and self-contained

The first and second rules avoids conflicts in future and the past respectively. Because of the second rule, incompatibilities between 1.8 and 1.9 methods are left alone.
For example, <tt>Module::instance_methods</tt> returns strings in 1.8 and symbols in 1.9; no change can be made without the risk of breaking existing code.

More complex features of active-support (even things like <tt>String::pluralize</tt>), won't be included. <tt>require 'activesupport'</tt> if you need them and are not in rails!

I've added these backports as I need them; pull requests welcome (with tests for Ruby 1.9 backports)

== Installation & compatibility

+backports+ is mirrored on Rubyforge and can thus be installed with:

  sudo gem install backports

To use:

  require 'rubygems'
  require 'backports'
  # and off you go!

Compatible with Ruby 1.8 & 1.9.

= List of backports

== Ruby 1.8.7

Complete Ruby 1.8.7 backporting. Refer to the official list of changes[http://svn.ruby-lang.org/repos/ruby/tags/v1_8_7/NEWS]. All builtin classes are compatible with Ruby 1.8.7: 
* Array
* Binding
* Dir
* Enumerable
* Enumerator
* Fixnum
* Hash
* Integer
* IO (& ARGF)
* Method
* Numeric
* Object
* ObjectSpace
* Range
* Regexp
* Symbol
* UnboundMethod

Only exceptions:
* String#gsub
* GC.stress=
* Process.exec
* recursive data handling (Array and Hash)

As in Ruby 1.8.7+, there is no need to <tt>require 'enumerator'</tt> in older Ruby, and +Enumerator+ can be accessed directly (instead of <tt>Enumerable::Enumerator</tt>)

== Ruby 1.9

Additionally, the following Ruby 1.9 have been backported:

* Array
  * +sample+

* Enumerable
  * +each_with_object+
  * +reverse_each+

* Enumerator
  * +new+ (with block)

* Hash
  * <tt>Hash[[[:foo, :bar],[:hello, "world"]]] ==> {:foo => :bar, :hello => "world"}</tt> (see _note_)
  * <tt>default_proc=</tt>

* Kernel
  * +require_relative+

* Object
  * +define_singleton_method+

* Proc
  * +yield+

* String
  * +try_convert+
  * <tt>ascii_only?</tt>
  * +chr+
  * +clear+
  * +codepoints+, +each_codepoint+

_note_: This usage of <tt>Hash::[]</tt> is not yet documented[http://redmine.ruby-lang.org/issues/show/1385].

== Rails

Some generic methods from Rails methods have been copied:

* Enumerable
  * +sum+

* Hash
  * +symbolize_keys+, <tt>symbolize_keys!</tt>
  * +reverse_merge+, <tt>reverse_merge!</tt>

* Module
  * +alias_method_chain+

* Object
  * +try+
  * +returning+

* String
  * +camelize+, +underscore+
  * +dasherize+, +demodulize+
  * +constantize+

= License

+backports+ is released under the terms of the MIT License, see the included LICENSE file.

Author::                 Marc-André Lafortune