Yes, but that's probably a matter of familiarity over clarity. This is a perfect time to use the irrationally-dreaded ternary operator. param = object.proper

Yes, but that's probably a matter of familiarity over clarity. This is a perfect time to use the irrationally-dreaded ternary operator. param = object.property.nil? ? default_value : object.property Verbose, although less so, but reveals intent almost perfectly. Would be better if the colon were "else" or "otherwise".