From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2006-07-09T06:50:27+09:00
Subject: Re: Definition of methods: self

2006/7/8, Damaris Fuentes <dfl_maradentro@yahoo.es>:
> Um...wait...Do I have to set the name of the class before the name of
> the method when this method is a class method (except the "initialize")?

Right, but no exception: initialize is an instance method.  new is a
class method and after a new instance is allocated initialize is
called on that instance:

$ ruby -e 'set_trace_func lambda {|*a| p a}; Array.new'
["line", "-e", 1, nil, #<Binding:0x100f6938>, false]
["c-call", "-e", 1, :new, #<Binding:0x100f68f0>, Class]
["c-call", "-e", 1, :initialize, #<Binding:0x100f6698>, Array]
["c-return", "-e", 1, :initialize, #<Binding:0x100f6650>, Array]
["c-return", "-e", 1, :new, #<Binding:0x100f6518>, Class]

Note, there is also allocate (class method) that will create an empty
instance of the correct type.  So new can be imagined as being
implemented like this:

class Class
  def new(*a,&b)
    o = allocate
    o.initialize(*a,&b)
    o
  end
end

Kind regards

robert



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