From: Phlip <phlip2005@...>
Date: 2007-09-29T07:34:20+09:00
Subject: Re: a different type of reference (shocked)

SpringFlowers AutumnMoon wrote:

> (and in Ruby, we call a method by "pass by value, the value being the
> reference (pointer) to an object).  and when the method returns
> something, it returns a value, which is the reference to an object.)  It
> is very consistent all the way.  In Ruby, we don't have the "alias
> reference", right?

In Ruby, types that can (generally) fit into 32 bits are "immediate
types". These Fixnums and Floats are pass-by-value. All other types -
from String up - are pass by reference:

  def foist(q)
     q.replace('yo')
  end
  q = 'otherwise'
  foist(q)
  assert_equal 'yo', q

Nothing to be shocked about, because you should not scribble on your
input arguments anyway. If you need some other value inside a method,
it should get its own variable with a distinct name.

-- 
 Phlip
 http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596510657/
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