From: Gavin Kistner <gavin@...>
Date: 2004-09-30T22:49:28+09:00
Subject: Re: Range syntax theory

On Sep 30, 2004, at 7:30 AM, Zach Dennis wrote:
> How range operators work seems sort of backwards to me. It would 
> appear as if the "..." (three dots) would be the inclusive one, 
> including the last value and the ".." (two dots) would be exclusive 
> and exclude the last value.

I was thinking this exact same thing in the shower yesterday morning.


I've tried to memorize what _why said about them, to remember:

> Think of it as an accordion which has been squeezed down for carrying. 
> (Sure, you can build a great sense of self-worth by carrying around an 
> unfolded accordion, but sometimes a person needs to wallow in 
> self-doubt, carefully concealing the squeeze-box.) The parentheses are 
> the handles on the sides of a smaller, handheld accordion. The dots 
> are the chain, keeping the folds tightly closed.
>
> Normally, only two dots are used. If a third dot is used, the last 
> value in the range is excluded.
>
> (0...5) represents the numbers 0 through 4.
>
> When you see that third dot, imagine opening the accordion slightly. 
> Just enough to let one note from its chamber. The note is that end 
> value. We�ll let the sky eat it.

Source: http://poignantguide.net/ruby/chapter-3.html#section2