Grails - Add method on String to truncate long texts nicely | technipelago

Add method on String to truncate long texts nicely

I had several domain classes with long text content that I wanted to display just a summary of on the screen, especially in lists columns, etc.. I first added a getIntro(int numChars) method on domain classes with long strings, and used them when appropriate.
But I soon realised that I violated the DRY principle (Dont Repeat Yourself) with getInto() methods all over the place. I could have put the method in a base class but my text properties did not have the same name in all domain classes, so that was complicated.
I think I found a much better solution. I removed all those methods and added a getIntro(int) method to String and GString in BootStrap.groovy.