Where to put code when monkey patching

Life4ants picture Life4ants · Jan 17, 2017 · Viewed 10.1k times · Source

Everything I read about monkey patching says to do something like this:

class String
  def foo
    #your special code 
  end
end

But I can't find any instructions on where to put this code. In a rails app, can I just put this any crazy place I want? In a Module? A Model?

Do I need to include something in the file where I define my monkeypatch? Do I need to include my monkeypatch everywhere where I want to use it?

Answer

virtuexru picture virtuexru · Jan 17, 2017

There is no set rule on this. Technically you can open it (the class; and add your method) anywhere. I usually make a special file called monkey_patches.rb and put it in config/initializers or in a misc folder in my Rails app so if theres ever a conflict I know where to look.

Also I'd advise to use a Module to wrap the monkey patch. Check out 3 ways to monkey patch without making a mess for more info.

His example:

module CoreExtensions
  module DateTime
    module BusinessDays
      def weekday?
        !sunday? && !saturday?
      end
    end
  end
end

DateTime.include CoreExtensions::DateTime::BusinessDays