lib/apricoteatsgorilla.rb in smacks-apricoteatsgorilla-0.2.2 vs lib/apricoteatsgorilla.rb in smacks-apricoteatsgorilla-0.2.3

@@ -1,18 +1,18 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 require 'rubygems'
 require 'hpricot'
 
-# Apricot eats Gorilla translates between XML documents and Ruby hashes.
+# Apricot eats Gorilla translates between XML documents and Hashes.
 # It's based on CobraVsMongoose but uses Hpricot instead of REXML to parse
 # XML and it also doesn't follow the BadgerFish convention.
 # 
-# Its initial purpose was to convert SOAP response messages to Ruby hashes,
+# Its initial purpose was to convert SOAP response messages to Hashes,
 # but it quickly evolved into a more general translation tool.
 class ApricotEatsGorilla
 
-  # Converts XML into a Ruby Hash. Starts parsing at root node by default.
+  # Converts XML into a Hash. Starts parsing at root node by default.
   # Call with XPath expession (Hpricot search) as second parameter to define
   # a custom root node. The root node itself will not be included in the Hash.
   # 
   # E.g.
   #  xml = "<dude><likes>beer</likes><hates>appletini</hates></dude>"
@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@
     doc = Hpricot.XML(xml)
     root = root_node ? doc.at(root_node) : doc.root
     xml_node_to_hash(root)
   end
 
-  # Converts a Ruby Hash to XML.
+  # Converts a Hash to XML.
   # 
   # E.g.
   #  hash = { "dude" => { "likes" => "beer", "hates" => "appletini" } }
   #  ApricotEatsGorilla.hash_to_xml(hash)
   #  # => "<dude><hates>appletini</hates><likes>beer</likes></dude>"
@@ -35,11 +35,11 @@
     nested_data_to_xml(hash.keys.first, hash.values.first)
   end
 
 private
 
-  # Converts XML nodes into a Ruby Hash.
+  # Converts XML into a Hash.
   def self.xml_node_to_hash(node)
     this_node = {}
 
     node.each_child do |child|
       if child.children.nil?
@@ -62,13 +62,12 @@
     end
 
     this_node
   end
 
-  # Converts a Ruby Hash to XML.
+  # Converts a Hash to XML.
   def self.nested_data_to_xml(name, item)
-    children = {}
     case item
     when String
       make_tag(name) { item }
     when Array
       item.map { |subitem| nested_data_to_xml(name, subitem) }.join
@@ -112,5 +111,20 @@
     return false if string == "false"
     string
   end
 
 end
+
+# Shortcut method for translating between XML documents and Hashes.
+# Calls xml_to_hash in case the first parameter is of type String.
+# Calls hash_to_xml in case the first parameter is of type Hash.
+# Returns nil otherwise.
+def ApricotEatsGorilla(source, root_node = nil)
+  case source
+  when String
+    ApricotEatsGorilla.xml_to_hash(source, root_node)
+  when Hash
+    ApricotEatsGorilla.hash_to_xml(source)
+  else
+    nil
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file