From: dblack@...
Date: 2007-03-03T22:14:16+09:00
Subject: Re: Question about attr_accessor

Hi --

On Sat, 3 Mar 2007, Roland Swingler wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I came across something unexpected today, and wondered if anyone could
> explain it to me. If I have this class:
>
> class Foo
>  def initialize
>    @bar = 0
>  end
>
>  attr_accessor :bar
>
>  def add
>    bar += 1
>  end
> end
>
> then the "add" function doesn't work - it complains about a nil
> object. You have to specifically put "self.bar += 1". Why is that - I
> thought that the "self" was implicitly there?

For methods that end in = (like bar=), you always need an explicit
receiver, even if it's self, because otherwise Ruby will see it as an
assignment to a local variable.


David

-- 
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