This Ruby code raises an error if the XPath query fails because the attribute being queried did not exist for the given element.

  def map_pattr(node, fieldx, valuex)
    begin
    parameter = node.root.elements["parameter[@field='#{fieldx}']"]
    parameter.add_attribute('value', valuex)
    parameter
    
    rescue
      puts 'feedpopulated.rb: map_attr() the field ' + fieldx + ' was not found in params.'
      raise
    end
  end

Notice that a raise statement is used to ensure that the system error message is raised and any further code execution is halted.

Without adding a customized helpful message I would be left scratching my head trying to work out what the following system error message meant.

./feedpopulated.rb:27:in `map_pattr': undefined method `add_attribute' for nil:NilClass (NoMethodError)
     from ./feedpopulated.rb:51:in `create_record'
     from ./feedpopulated.rb:49:in `each'
     from ./feedpopulated.rb:49:in `create_record'
     from ./recordx.rb:91:in `call_create'
     from ./s3fileuploader_handler.rb:14:in `call'
     from ./s3fileuploader_handler.rb:40:in `invoke'
     from ./uploadtwitteraudio.rb:22:in `initialize'
     from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rexml/element.rb:890:in `each'
     from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rexml/xpath.rb:53:in `each'
     from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rexml/element.rb:890:in `each'
     from ./uploadtwitteraudio.rb:18:in `initialize'
     from ./uploadtwitteraudio.rb:72:in `new'
     from ./uploadtwitteraudio.rb:72

Reference: Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide - Exceptions, Catch, and Throw [ruby-doc.org]

Following on from the post A simple XSLT example [dzone.com], this code lists all files which have the type 'rb' (equivalent to ls *.rb).

file: dir.xsl

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="1.0">
      
    <xsl:template match="dir">
    <div id="articles">
      <ul>
      <xsl:apply-templates select="records/file[@type='rb']"/>
      </ul>
    </div>
    </xsl:template>
    
    <xsl:template match="records/file[@type='rb']">
      <li><xsl:value-of select="."/></li>
    </xsl:template>
    
</xsl:stylesheet>

output:

<div id='articles'>
  <ul>
    <li>projxmlhelper.rb</li>
    <li>feedpopulated.rb</li>
    <li>squrl_handler.rb</li>
    <li>password_handler.rb</li>
    <li>category.rb</li>
    <li>gwd.rb</li>
  </ul>
</div>

*update 11:58am 26-Feb*
Here's a filter I will be using in my projects

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="1.0">
      
    <xsl:template match="dir">
    <div id="articles">
      <ul>
      <xsl:apply-templates select="records/file"/>
      </ul>
    </div>
    </xsl:template>
    
    <xsl:template match="records/file">
      <xsl:if test="@type=$type">
        <li><xsl:value-of select="."/></li>
      </xsl:if>
    </xsl:template>
    
</xsl:stylesheet>

Dependency injection in Ruby is as easy as falling off a log. As Jamis Buck has pointed out, DI is a good thing, but DI frameworks for Ruby are overkill. The language makes them unnecessary.

Here's how to enhance attr_reader and attr_accessor so that they can receive an options hash for specifying the default value of an attribute.

module AttrWithDefaultExtension
  
  module ClassMethods
    
    def attr_accessor(*args)
      attrs, attrs_with_defaults = split_for_last_hash(args)
      attrs_with_defaults.each do |name, default|
        attr_reader_with_default name, default
        attr_writer              name
      end
      
      super(*attrs)
    end
    
    def attr_reader(*args)
      attrs, attrs_with_defaults = split_for_last_hash(args)
      attrs_with_defaults.each do |name, default|
        attr_reader_with_default name, default
      end
      
      super(*attrs)
    end
    
  private
    
    def attr_reader_with_default(name, default)
      define_method(name) do
        unless instance_variable_defined?("@#{name}")
          default = default.call(self) if default.kind_of?(Proc)
          instance_variable_set "@#{name}", default
        end
        instance_variable_get "@#{name}"
      end
    end
    
    def split_for_last_hash(args)
      if args.last.kind_of?(Hash)
        [args[0...-1], args.last]
      else
        [args, {}]
      end
    end
    
  end
  
  def self.included(other_module)
    other_module.extend ClassMethods
  end
  
end

class Object; include AttrWithDefaultExtension; end

Here are the unit tests. They demonstrate not only the enhanced behavior of attr_reader and attr_accessor, but also that the standard behavior remains unbroken.

require 'test/unit'

module AttrWithDefaultExtensionTest
  
  class TwoStandardAttrReaders < Test::Unit::TestCase
    
    attr_reader :foo, :baz
    
    def test_should_not_define_first_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@foo)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_first_instance_variable_when_sent_first_attr_reader
      @foo = 'bar'
      assert_equal 'bar', foo
    end
    
    def test_should_not_define_second_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@baz)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_second_instance_variable_when_sent_second_attr_reader
      @baz = 'bat'
      assert_equal 'bat', baz
    end
    
  end
  
  class TwoStandardAttrAccessors < Test::Unit::TestCase
    
    attr_accessor :foo, :baz
    
    def test_should_not_define_first_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@foo)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_first_instance_variable_when_sent_first_attr_reader
      @foo = 'bar'
      assert_equal 'bar', foo
    end
    
    def test_should_set_first_instance_variable_when_sent_first_attr_writer
      self.foo = 'bar'
      assert_equal 'bar', @foo
    end
    
    def test_should_not_define_second_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@baz)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_second_instance_variable_when_sent_second_attr_reader
      @baz = 'bat'
      assert_equal 'bat', baz
    end
    
    def test_should_set_second_instance_variable_when_sent_second_attr_writer
      self.baz = 'bat'
      assert_equal 'bat', @baz
    end
    
  end
  
  class TwoStandardAttrReadersAndADefault < Test::Unit::TestCase
    
    attr_reader :foo, :baz, :blit => 'blat'
    
    def test_should_not_define_first_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@foo)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_first_instance_variable_when_sent_first_attr_reader
      @foo = 'bar'
      assert_equal 'bar', foo
    end
    
    def test_should_not_define_second_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@baz)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_second_instance_variable_when_sent_second_attr_reader
      @baz = 'bat'
      assert_equal 'bat', baz
    end
    
    def test_should_not_define_third_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@blit)
    end
    
    def test_should_set_third_instance_variable_when_sent_third_attr_reader
      blit
      assert_equal 'blat', @blit
    end
    
    def test_should_not_set_third_instance_variable_if_already_set_when_sent_third_attr_reader
      @blit = 'splat'
      assert_equal 'splat', blit
    end
    
  end
  
  class TwoStandardAttrAccessorsAndADefault < Test::Unit::TestCase
    
    attr_accessor :foo, :baz, :blit => 'blat'
    
    def test_should_not_define_first_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@foo)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_first_instance_variable_when_sent_first_attr_reader
      @foo = 'bar'
      assert_equal 'bar', foo
    end
    
    def test_should_set_first_instance_variable_when_sent_first_attr_writer
      self.foo = 'bar'
      assert_equal 'bar', @foo
    end
    
    def test_should_not_define_second_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@baz)
    end
    
    def test_should_return_second_instance_variable_when_sent_second_attr_reader
      @baz = 'bat'
      assert_equal 'bat', baz
    end
    
    def test_should_set_second_instance_variable_when_sent_second_attr_writer
      self.baz = 'bat'
      assert_equal 'bat', @baz
    end
    
    def test_should_not_define_third_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@blit)
    end
    
    def test_should_set_third_instance_variable_when_sent_third_attr_reader
      blit
      assert_equal 'blat', @blit
    end
    
    def test_should_not_set_third_instance_variable_if_already_set_before_sent_third_attr_reader
      @blit = 'splat'
      assert_equal 'splat', blit
    end
    
    def test_should_set_third_instance_variable_when_sent_third_attr_writer
      self.blit = 'splat'
      assert_equal 'splat', @blit
    end
    
  end
  
  class AProcDefault < Test::Unit::TestCase
    
    attr_accessor :my_object_id => Proc.new { |obj| obj.object_id }
    
    def test_should_not_define_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@my_object_id)
    end
    
    def test_should_set_instance_variable_to_result_of_proc_when_sent_attr_reader
      my_object_id
      assert_equal object_id, @my_object_id
    end
    
    def test_should_not_set_instance_variable_if_already_set_before_sent_attr_reader
      @my_object_id = 'foo'
      assert_equal 'foo', my_object_id
    end
    
    def test_should_set_instance_variable_when_sent_attr_writer
      self.my_object_id = 'foo'
      assert_equal 'foo', @my_object_id
    end
    
  end
  
  class AProcWithinAProcDefault < Test::Unit::TestCase
    
    attr_accessor :my_proc => Proc.new { Proc.new { } }
    
    def test_should_not_define_instance_variable
      assert_equal false, instance_variable_defined?(:@my_proc)
    end
    
    def test_should_set_instance_variable_to_result_of_outer_proc_when_sent_attr_reader
      my_proc
      assert_kind_of Proc, @my_proc
    end
    
    def test_should_not_set_instance_variable_if_already_set_before_sent_attr_reader
      @my_proc = 'foo'
      assert_equal 'foo', my_proc
    end
    
    def test_should_set_instance_variable_when_sent_attr_writer
      self.my_proc = 'foo'
      assert_equal 'foo', @my_proc
    end
    
  end
  
end