From: Robert Klemme <bob.news@...>
Date: 2004-07-31T19:51:40+09:00
Subject: Re: Forward references?


"Lloyd Zusman" <ljz@asfast.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1xit1d8o.fsf@asfast.com...
> "Robert Klemme" <bob.news@gmx.net> writes:
>
> > "Lloyd Zusman" <ljz@asfast.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> > news:d62dd0tu.fsf@asfast.com...
> >> Is there a way to define forward references to functions?  Due to my
own
> >> personal eccentricities, I like to have the main body of a program
> >> appear at the top of its source file, and the functions it uses at the
> >> end.
> >>
> >> [ ... ]
> >
> > Just define them duplicately, the first time with an empty body:
> >
> > # "prototypes"
> > def foo;end
> > def bar(name)end
> >
> > # main stuff
> > x = foo()
> > y = bar()
> > puts x
> > puts y
> > exit 0
> >
> > # "functions"
> > def foo
> >   # foodoo
> > end
> >
> > def bar(name)
> >   # bardo
> > end
> >
>
> Thank you very much, but this doesn't appear to work.  Here's what I
> tried:
>
>   def foo;puts "forward ref of foo";end
>   def bar(arg);puts "forward ref of bar(#{arg})";end
>
>   foo()
>   bar('abc')
>   exit(0);
>
>   def foo
>     puts "foo"
>   end
>
>   def bar(arg)
>     puts "bar: #{arg}"
>   end
>
> When I ran it, it produced the following output:
>
>   forward ref of foo
>   forward ref of bar(abc)
>
> In other words, the second function definitions did not override the
> first ones.

Indeed.  Darn, should've done a real test - and not just a mental test.  I'm
sorry.  I guess the lession to learn here is, just don't do it.  Or use
comments as prototypes.

Regards

    robert