# Dig Methods¶ ↑

Ruby’s `dig` methods are useful for accessing nested data structures.

Consider this data:

    item = {
      id: "0001",
      type: "donut",
      name: "Cake",
      ppu: 0.55,
      batters: {
        batter: [
          {id: "1001", type: "Regular"},
          {id: "1002", type: "Chocolate"},
          {id: "1003", type: "Blueberry"},
          {id: "1004", type: "Devil's Food"}
        ]
      },
      topping: [
        {id: "5001", type: "None"},
        {id: "5002", type: "Glazed"},
        {id: "5005", type: "Sugar"},
        {id: "5007", type: "Powdered Sugar"},
        {id: "5006", type: "Chocolate with Sprinkles"},
        {id: "5003", type: "Chocolate"},
        {id: "5004", type: "Maple"}
      ]
    }

Without a `dig` method, you can write:

    item[:batters][:batter][1][:type] # => "Chocolate"

With a `dig` method, you can write:

    item.dig(:batters, :batter, 1, :type) # => "Chocolate"

Without a `dig` method, you can write, erroneously (raises `NoMethodError (undefined method `[]' for nil:NilClass)`):

    item[:batters][:BATTER][1][:type]

With a `dig` method, you can write (still erroneously, but avoiding the exception):

    item.dig(:batters, :BATTER, 1, :type) # => nil

## Why Is `dig` Better?¶ ↑

- It has fewer syntactical elements (to get wrong).

- It reads better.

- It does not raise an exception if an item is not found.

## How Does `dig` Work?¶ ↑

The call sequence is:

    obj.dig(*identifiers)

The `identifiers` define a “path” into the nested data structures:

- For each identifier in `identifiers`, calls method #dig on a receiver with that identifier.

- The first receiver is `self`.

- Each successive receiver is the value returned by the previous call to `dig`.

- The value finally returned is the value returned by the last call to `dig`.

A `dig` method raises an exception if any receiver does not respond to #dig:

    h = { foo: 1 }
    # Raises TypeError (Integer does not have #dig method):
    h.dig(:foo, :bar)

## What Else?¶ ↑

The structure above has Hash objects and Array objects, both of which have instance method `dig`.

Altogether there are six built-in Ruby classes that have method `dig`, three in the core classes and three in the standard library.

In the core:

- `Array#dig`: the first argument is an Integer index.

- `Hash#dig`: the first argument is a key.

- `Struct#dig`: the first argument is a key.

In the standard library:

- `OpenStruct#dig`: the first argument is a String name.

- CSV::Table#dig: the first argument is an Integer index or a String header.

- CSV::Row#dig: the first argument is an Integer index or a String header.