From: matz@...
Date: 2014-12-07T15:34:16+00:00
Subject: [ruby-core:66736] [ruby-trunk - Bug #10450] [Rejected] multiple assignment in conditional

Issue #10450 has been updated by Yukihiro Matsumoto.

Status changed from Open to Rejected

It's a limitation of LALR syntax defined by yacc. You cannot non
Wrap the multiple assignment in parentheses.

```
if (a,b = 1,2)
  puts 'hello'
end
```

But I am afraid it's meaningless, since multiple assignment always return an array as its value.


Matz.


----------------------------------------
Bug #10450: multiple assignment in conditional
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/10450#change-50328

* Author: bug hit
* Status: Rejected
* Priority: Normal
* Assignee: 
* Category: 
* Target version: 
* ruby -v: ruby 2.1.4p265 (2014-10-27 revision 48166) [x86_64-linux]
* Backport: 2.0.0: UNKNOWN, 2.1: UNKNOWN
----------------------------------------
multiple assignment is an expression whose value can be truthy (array) or falsy (nil, false), so why is there a restriction on its use in conditionals?  A warning perhaps is justified, but a syntax error, why?


irb(main):001:0> if a, b = nil then 1 else 0 end
SyntaxError: (irb):1: syntax error, unexpected ',', expecting keyword_then or ';' or '\n'
if a, b = nil then 1 else 0 end
     ^
(irb):1: syntax error, unexpected keyword_then, expecting end-of-input
if a, b = nil then 1 else 0 end
                  ^
	from /home/alex/.rbenv/versions/2.1.4/bin/irb:11:in `<main>'
irb(main):002:0> if (a, b = nil) then 1 else 0 end
SyntaxError: (irb):2: multiple assignment in conditional
	from /home/alex/.rbenv/versions/2.1.4/bin/irb:11:in `<main>'
irb(main):003:0> (a, b = nil) ? 1 : 0
SyntaxError: (irb):3: multiple assignment in conditional
	from /home/alex/.rbenv/versions/2.1.4/bin/irb:11:in `<main>'
irb(main):004:0> (a, b = nil)
=> nil




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