From: Paul Brannan <pbrannan@...>
Date: 2007-09-20T22:42:25+09:00
Subject: Re: scope questions

On Wed, Sep 19, 2007 at 12:59:58AM +0900, botp wrote:
> irb(main):008:0> def m2
> irb(main):009:1>    var = 1
> irb(main):010:1>    def m3
> irb(main):011:2>        var = 2
> irb(main):012:2>        puts "inner var = #{var}"
> irb(main):013:2>    end
> irb(main):014:1>    puts "outer var = #{var}"
> irb(main):015:1> end
> => nil
> irb(main):016:0> m2
> outer var = 1
> => nil
> irb(main):017:0> m2.m3
> outer var = 1
> inner var = 2
> => nil
> irb(main):018:0> m3
> inner var = 2
> => nil

This might not be doing what you think it is:

irb(main):020:0> $VERBOSE = true
=> true
irb(main):023:0> m2.m3
(irb):9: warning: method redefined; discarding old m3
outer var = 1
inner var = 2
=> nil
irb(main):024:0> m2  
(irb):9: warning: method redefined; discarding old m3
outer var = 1
=> nil
irb(main):025:0> nil.m3
inner var = 2
=> nil

(your example made it look like m3 is inside m2, which it isn't.  m2 is
returning nil, and since you made m3 a public method, m2.m3 is the same as
m2(); nil.m3())

Paul