From: dblack@...
Date: 2006-07-14T23:20:30+09:00
Subject: Re: About MyClass#my_method

Hi --

On Fri, 14 Jul 2006, Jonas Pfenniger wrote:

> On 14/07/06, dblack@wobblini.net <dblack@wobblini.net> wrote:
>> On Fri, 14 Jul 2006, Jonas Pfenniger wrote:
>> > I always see the # notation in the docs to design instance_methods.
>> > Wouldn't it be nice to be able to use that notation to address and
>> > access methods directly ?
>> >
>> > MyClass#my_method would replace MyClass.instance_method(:my_method)
>> >
>> > and
>> >
>> > def MyClass#my_method end would replace class MyClass; def my_method end 
>> end
>> 
>> That syntax is already taken, for comments.
>
> I know but other characters are used differently in various
> circumstances. For example {} is for a hash or a block depending where
> it is in the code.

OK, then let me put it differently: repurposing comment syntax is a
bad idea :-)  I really think that comments are important enough that
they deserve a completely unchallenged syntax.  (I know about "#{}".
I consider the quotation marks a mitigating factor: "#" wouldn't be a
comment anyway.)

> I would really like that the dot notation would only be used for method 
> calls.
>
>> > Similarily, I was also thinking that :: could be used for class methods.
>> 
>> I'd be glad to see :: for method *calls* disappear, but I doubt it
>> will and therefore it's not available.  Also, both method names and
>> constants can start with uppercase letters, which I think would make
>> parsing this impossible.
>
> Yeah this is a good argument. Actually, the edge case would be when
> you have a method and a constant with the same name and that you want
> to access to the method's instance. Like :
>
> class Test end
> def Test::LibPath; "." end
> Test::LibPath = File.dirname(__FILE__)
>
> Test::LibPath would always give the dirname of __FILE__. But in that
> case you could use Test.method(:LibPath)

So you'd have to know whether there was a method of the same name...
which I think is very fragile.


David

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