From: Jay Levitt <jay+news@...>
Date: 2006-08-23T12:05:09+09:00
Subject: Protecting class "helper methods"?

Start with:

class C
  def self.class_callme
    internal_helper
  end

  def instance_callme
    C.internal_helper
  end

  def self.internal_helper
    puts "I'm not needed by the outside world."
  end
end

My first instinct was to make internal_helper protected:

class << self
  protected
    def internal_helper
      puts "I'm not needed by the outside world."
    end
end

However, instance_methods (such as instance_callme) can't call protected
class methods.  

Is there some other idiomatic Ruby way to, er, protect internal_helper, or
another way to call it from instance_callme?  Or do I just have to do it
through lack of documentation with :nodoc:?

Jay Levitt