--- /dev/null
+class Class #:nodoc:
+
+ # Unassociates the class with its subclasses and removes the subclasses
+ # themselves.
+ #
+ # Integer.remove_subclasses # => [Bignum, Fixnum]
+ # Fixnum # => NameError: uninitialized constant Fixnum
+ def remove_subclasses
+ Object.remove_subclasses_of(self)
+ end
+
+ # Returns an array with the names of the subclasses of +self+ as strings.
+ #
+ # Integer.subclasses # => ["Bignum", "Fixnum"]
+ def subclasses
+ Object.subclasses_of(self).map { |o| o.to_s }
+ end
+
+ # Removes the classes in +klasses+ from their parent module.
+ #
+ # Ordinary classes belong to some module via a constant. This method computes
+ # that constant name from the class name and removes it from the module it
+ # belongs to.
+ #
+ # Object.remove_class(Integer) # => [Integer]
+ # Integer # => NameError: uninitialized constant Integer
+ #
+ # Take into account that in general the class object could be still stored
+ # somewhere else.
+ #
+ # i = Integer # => Integer
+ # Object.remove_class(Integer) # => [Integer]
+ # Integer # => NameError: uninitialized constant Integer
+ # i.subclasses # => ["Bignum", "Fixnum"]
+ # Fixnum.superclass # => Integer
+ def remove_class(*klasses)
+ klasses.flatten.each do |klass|
+ # Skip this class if there is nothing bound to this name
+ next unless defined?(klass.name)
+
+ basename = klass.to_s.split("::").last
+ parent = klass.parent
+
+ # Skip this class if it does not match the current one bound to this name
+ next unless parent.const_defined?(basename) && klass = parent.const_get(basename)
+
+ parent.instance_eval { remove_const basename } unless parent == klass
+ end
+ end
+end