From: Michael Neumann <neumann@...>
Date: 2001-11-22T03:38:09+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:26055] Re: call_myself

Tobias Reif wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> sometimes, methods call itself inside.
> ("Recursion"?")

Yes, this is called recursion.


> --- the example we all know---
> def fact(n)
>    if n == 0
>      1
>    else
>      n * fact(n-1)
>    end
> end
> -------------------
> 
> Sometimes, this is not obvious, because there might me a lot of other code.
> 
> def some_method arg
>    # many LOC
>    # some_method mod_arg
> end
> 
> Is there something that makes it clear that the method calls itself?

Do you think of something like this (similar to Ocaml's let rec):

 def rec fact(n)
    if n == 0
      1
    else
      n * fact(n-1)
    end
 end

No there's no such thing, but 

  rec def fact(n)  
  ...
  end

would be possible if "def" would return a value (and not void).

But do we really need this? I've never had problems with unwanted
recursions.

Regards,

  Michael

-- 
Michael Neumann
merlin.zwo InfoDesign GmbH
http://www.merlin-zwo.de