From: Rob Sanheim <rsanheim@...>
Date: 2006-11-30T06:47:57+09:00
Subject: Re: `attr_accessor` and predicate/question mark methods.

On 11/29/06, Daniel Berger <djberg96@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tim Becker wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I just stumbled across this weird behaviour and I'm puzzled that I've
> > not noticed it before. If I use `attr_accessor` to define a predicate
> > method, i.e. one ending in a question mark, the following happens:
> >
> > class Test
> > attr_accessor :weird?
> > end
> >
> > t = new Test
> > t.weird?     => nil
> > t.weird?=true     => SyntaxError: compile error
> >
> > Which is only mildly confusing, considering it's implied somewhere in
> > the pickaxe book that bangs or question marks are only allowed at the
> > end of method names. In fact:
> >
> > class Test2
> > def weird?= val
> > end
> > end
> >
> > fails with `SyntaxError` as well. What's baffling me is that
> > `attr_accessor`'s  is capable of adding the method `weird?=`, which
> > can be verified calling `methods`:
> >
> > t.methods => [... "weird?=" ...]
> >
> > The method is there, only calling it causes the `SyntaxError`... Am I
> > missing something entirely obvious here?
> >    -tim
>
> This was a bug that was "fixed" in a 1.8.5.  In 1.8.5 trying to do
> 'attr_accessor :weird?' raises a NameError.
>
> I had voted that doing 'attr_accessor :weird?' should create a "weird?"
> and "weird=" method, but I was shot down by programmers who were more
> interested in being correct than useful (am I bitter? nah).  See
> ruby-core:5796 and following for more information.
>
> Regards,
>
> Dan
>
> PS - My apologies if this is a double post - Google server flaked out.

Hmm, I just went through the thread on ruby-core, and I didn't see
anyone really shoot you down.  There was some debate, but the last
thing Matz said was "I'm not sure", so maybe its still an option?  Or
was there a later thread that officially shot it down?

- Rob
-- 
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