From: Robert Dober <robert.dober@...>
Date: 2008-05-24T00:04:57+09:00
Subject: Re: Prevent ruby constant variables from changing?

<skip>
> (note, you just operationaly demonstrated what XNoria wrote in prev post :)
yes as you were repeating all I had done, obviously I did not succeed
in expressing my intent, sorry
>
><skip>
>
> ruby's behaviour is to get the class name fr the very first constant it encounters or it is assigned to. yes, by the very fact that _it_ is a constant. sorry, but what could be simpler?
Simple????? I mean I can understand that behavior, but I feel it is
very mean to do such things ;). No really, why the heck is Ruby doing
this, what could it be good for?

>  We've assigned it to a constant, and still we expect it to have no name?? But hey, again, it's just a name. maybe what is confusing here is the word "name" itself :)
you got me;)
<skip> #
> # irb(main):006:0> _ = Class::new
> # => #<Class:0xb7d5af90>
> # irb(main):007:0> _.name
> # => ""
>
> in ruby1.9, this is nil. wc mean, we have no name yet. better than saying my name is empty.
>
>
> btw careful w using "_" in irb, since irb uses it :)
True enough, but I have tested it - surprisingly enough ;) - with Ruby
and Ruby1.9 I guess it is always dangerous to use irb to show some
sophisticated behavior, good point.
>
>
> # irb(main):008:0> X = _
> # => ""
>
> of course, since the last result was ""
of course, of course, but there are shocking consequences, unless, and
that is my point, one does not need Class#name.
>
> # irb(main):009:0> X.name
> # NoMethodError: undefined method `name' for "":String
> #         from (irb):9
> #         from :0
> # irb(main):010:0>
>
> as expected
as I would like to expect for all classes.
>
>
> kind regards -botp
Cheers
Robert

-- 
http://ruby-smalltalk.blogspot.com/

---
Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.
Ludwig Wittgenstein