From: Daniel Schierbeck <daniel.schierbeck@...>
Date: 2005-12-01T05:37:30+09:00
Subject: Re: Dumb question: in documentation, why Object#method, and not Object.method ?

David A. Black wrote:
> Hi --
> 
> On Thu, 1 Dec 2005, Marcel Molina Jr. wrote:
> 
>> On Thu, Dec 01, 2005 at 04:17:30AM +0900, Elf M. Sternberg wrote:
>>> I keep seeing this syntax in documentation: Object#method, but in actual
>>> use sending a message to an object is usually
>>>
>>>         object = Object.new
>>>         object.method
>>>
>>> Is this just to emphasize that method() operates on an instance of
>>> Object and not the class Object?
>>
>> The # is a naming convention.
>>
>> Class#method means method is an instance method.
>> Class::method means method is a class method.
>>
>> For example, do
>>
>>  ri IO.read
>>
>> There is IO::read and IO#read.
> 
> Interesting -- I never picked up on ri's use of :: in preference to
> the dot.  I personally use Class.method for class methods (indeed for
> any singleton method).

I believe that to be the convention, too.

   Klass.method         <- Class method
   Klass#method         <- Instance method
   Klass::FOO           <- Class constant
   Klass::AnotherKlass  <- Class constant (class or module)