From: Victor Shepelev <vshepelev@...>
Date: 2006-05-26T16:22:40+09:00
Subject: Re: Method '!='

From: Daniel Sheppard [mailto:daniels@pronto.com.au]
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 10:18 AM
> > Hello all.
> >
> > I've tried something like this:
> >
> > 'a'.send('==', 'b') #it works, returns true
> >
> > But
> >
> > 'a'.send('!=', 'b')
> >
> > said to me:
> >
> > tricks.rb:11:in `Kernel#send': undefined method `!=' for "a":String
> > (NoMethodError)
> 
> The syntax magic makes != work... but that doesn't mean you can't create
> methods to do the same things. define_method is much more lenient on
> method names than def is:
> 
> class Object
>   define_method(:<) {|arg| self < arg }
>   define_method(:>) {|arg| self > arg }
>   define_method(:!=) {|arg| self != arg }
> end
> 
> 1.send(:>, 5)
> => false
> 
> 1.send(:<, 5)
> => true

Wow! Elegant. Thanks.

V.