From: ptkwt@...1.aracnet.com (Phil Tomson)
Date: 2002-02-07T18:23:26+09:00
Subject: Re: returning multiple values from a method

In article <1013061331.673426.25491.nullmailer@ev.netlab.jp>,
Yukihiro Matsumoto <matz@ruby-lang.org> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>In message "returning multiple values from a method"
>    on 02/02/07, Phil Tomson <ptkwt@shell1.aracnet.com> writes:
>
>|What is the reason for the inconsistency?
>
>Although it might not follow your expectation, they are consistent,
>because they are just different.
>
>  a = foo()            # single assignment
>  a, = foo()           # retrieve first element
>  a, b = foo()         # first and second
>  a, *b = foo()        # first and rest

So the general principle is that you can avoid the '*' prefix if you are 
assigning to one and only one variable.

  a = foo()     # single assignment
is the same as:
  a* = foo()
Correct?

So based on this and the use of ',' that you show above I would tend to 
expect:

  a,b = foo()    # first and rest
  a, *b = foo()  # first and rest (same as previous)
  a,b, = foo()   # first and second
  
Then there doesn't seem to be a special case.  But I don't think this is a 
serious issue... (I'm not proposing an RCR :).

Phil