Method chaining
Method chaining is a programming technique in which successive method calls use the object or value returned by the preceding call.
The Well-Grounded Rubyist, Fourth Edition
A method chain is a sequence in which the result of one method call becomes the receiver of a subsequent method call.
- How it is used
- Organizes Ruby transformations so each method’s result becomes the next method’s receiver.
- How deep it goes
- Works through return values, collection allocation, and failure when a mutating method returns nil; stops short of exhaustive API guidance.
- Examples
- Uses animal-name filtering and uppercasing, string reversal, and a failed gsub! chain to make successive receivers visible.
- What you can do after
- Practice/perform Ruby method chaining while checking intermediate types, return values, allocation, and possible nil results.
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.NET in Action, Second Edition
Method chaining is a programming style in which successive method calls are applied to the object returned by the preceding call.
- How it is used
- Uses fluent calls to process successful and failed command-line parsing without separate intermediate statements.
- How deep it goes
- Explains return-value flow and conditional execution, with a focused C# implementation rather than general chaining internals.
- Examples
- Demonstrates ParseArguments followed by WithParsed and WithNotParsed in a console application.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via CommandLineParser to route successful and unsuccessful parsing results through concise callback chains.
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D3.js in Action, Third Edition
Method chaining is a programming technique in which successive method calls operate on and return an updated object through a linked call sequence.
- How it is used
- Uses successive calls to build concise, readable D3 selections and DOM content.
- How deep it goes
- Explains ordered object updates with a car analogy and demonstrates complete D3 selection code without covering broader API internals.
- Examples
- Demonstrates a car assembly line and a D3 sequence that creates, labels, nests, and styles paragraph and span elements.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via D3 to create and style nested DOM elements through readable call sequences.
Read how D3.js in Action, Third Edition explains method chaining →
Related concepts
- fluent interfaceused by · A fluent interface is an API design style in which operations return objects or values that enable readable chaining of subsequent calls.
- with_indexuses · with_index is a Ruby Enumerable and Enumerator method that supplies each yielded element with a sequential numeric index as an additional block argument.
- Kernelused by · Kernel is Ruby's built-in module containing fundamental methods that are available to Object instances through inclusion in Object.
- extensionused by · An extension is a language feature that adds functionality to an existing type without modifying its original definition.
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