Hash#deep_delete (See related posts)

class Object
   def deep_clone
      Marshal.load(Marshal.dump(self))
   end
end


class Hash

   # From: http://www.sameshirteveryday.com/2007/09/23/ruby-get-full-history-all-parents-of-a-hash-node
   # Author: Alex Gorbatchev
   # for further recursive hash methods see: 
   # - http://snippets.dzone.com/posts/show/1908
   # - http://snippets.dzone.com/posts/show/4706
   
   def nested_key(desired_key, &block)

      return false unless Hash === self
      #return false unless self.is_a?(Hash)

      self.each_pair do |k,v|  
         if k == desired_key or v.nested_key(desired_key, &block)  
            yield(k,v)  
            return true  
         end  
      end  

      return false  
   end


   def deep_values(key)   # cf. http://snippets.dzone.com/posts/show/1908 

      hash = self.deep_clone
      ret = []

      begin

         ar = []
         result = hash.nested_key(key) { |k, v| ar << k }
         break unless result
         ar = ar.reverse

         hk = ""
         ar.size.times { |i| hk << "[ar[#{i}]]" }
         #str = "hash" << hk << " rescue nil"
         str = "hash" << hk 

         # get value for hash key hk
         ret << eval(str)

         # delete the hash key
         key_to_delete = [ar.pop]

         hk = ""
         ar.size.times { |i| hk << "[ar[#{i}]]" }
         str = "hash" << hk
         str = str << ".delete(key_to_delete.first)"
         eval(str)


      end while result

      hash.clear  # optional
      ret

   end


   def deep_delete(key)

      hash = self

      begin

         ar = []
         result = hash.nested_key(key) { |k, v| ar << k }
         break unless result
         ar = ar.reverse

         # delete the hash key
         key_to_delete = [ar.pop]

         hk = ""
         ar.size.times { |i| hk << "[ar[#{i}]]" }
         str = "hash" << hk
         str = str << ".delete(key_to_delete.first)"
         eval(str)

      end while result

   end

end



puts
hash = {  
  :level_1 => {  
    :level_2 => {  :search => 'test1',
      :level_3 => {  
        :search => 'test2', :level_4 => {:search => 'test3'}
      }  
    }  
  }  
}  


require 'pp'

p hash
puts

pp hash
puts

hash.nested_key(:search) { |k, v| puts "#{k}  ::  #{v.inspect}" }

# prints out...
# search  ::  "test1"
# level_2  ::  {:search=>"test1", :level_3=>{:search=>"test2", :level_4=>{:search=>"test3"}}}
# level_1  ::  {:level_2=>{:search=>"test1", :level_3=>{:search=>"test2", :level_4=>{:search=>"test3"}}}}

puts


puts "DEEP VALUES"
p hash.deep_values(:search)   #=> ["test1", "test2", "test3"]
puts

puts "DEEP VALUES DELETED"
hash.deep_delete(:search)
p hash   #=> {:level_1=>{:level_2=>{:level_3=>{:level_4=>{}}}}}
puts

puts "DEEP VALUES"
p hash.deep_values(:search)   #=> []