From: Nick Bhanji <nickbh@...4u.ca>
Date: 2008-11-08T00:01:30+09:00
Subject: Re: array.equal?

Sebastian Hungerecker wrote:
> Nick Bhanji wrote:
>> My questions:
>> 1. why is equal? listed in the methods for the array
>> 2. what is the definition of equal? in the case of array?
>> 3. why is there another function eql? performing the actual equal test
> 
> 1. Where exactly is it listed? It's not listed in the docs for Array.
> equal? is defined by Object and it is not overridden for any core class.
> 2. The same as for anything else: a.equal? b is true if and only if a 
> and b
> are actually the same object (i.e. both a and b point to the same 
> location in
> memory)

you are correct to say that equal? is not in the Array docs.  However, 
when I executed
a = [1,1]
a.methods

equal? method is there on the list of methods supported by the object 
Array that is used by the variable a.

> 3. eql? does not perform the "actual equal test" - whatever that is. 
> eql? is
> to be used together with hash (and is indeed used that way by Hash, Set 
> and

"array.eql?(other) → true or false
Returns true if array and other are the same object, or are both arrays 
with the same content. " --- from 
http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/Array.html

> Array#&, Array#| and Array#-).
> 4. The method that I assume you're looking for is ==
> 
> HTH,
> Sebastian
-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.