From: Xavier Noria <fxn@...>
Date: 2006-11-13T07:40:05+09:00
Subject: Re: class reloading and constants

On Nov 11, 2006, at 9:55 PM, Xavier Noria wrote:

> which removes the basename of the class we want to remove from the  
> constants in its parent module, if any. The irb session below  
> suggests that technique triggers a "fresh" reload of the class, but  
> why? A posteriori one would bet a class definition reopens the  
> class if there's already a class object in that constant, and just  
> instantiates a new one otherwise, is that right?

I reply to myself :-). Looking at the source code in class.c that's  
indeed the case:

   VALUE
   rb_define_class(name, super)
       const char *name;
       VALUE super;
   {
       VALUE klass;
       ID id;

       id = rb_intern(name);
       if (rb_const_defined(rb_cObject, id)) {
         klass = rb_const_get(rb_cObject, id);
         ...
         return klass;
       }
       ...
       klass = rb_define_class_id(id, super);
       ...
       return klass;
   }

Understood!

-- fxn