If string is empty then return some default value

ActiveSupport adds a presence method to all objects that returns its receiver if present? (the opposite of blank?), and nil otherwise.

Example:

host = config[:host].presence || 'localhost'

Phrogz sort of gave me the idea in PofMagicfingers comment, but what about overriding | instead?

class String
  def |(what)
    self.strip.blank? ? what : self
  end
end

@user.address | "We don't know user's address"