From: Phillip Gawlowski <pg@...>
Date: 2009-12-31T11:35:43+09:00
Subject: Re: Why can't I use "or" here?

On 31.12.2009 03:24, Albert Schlef wrote:
> (The problem is in both Ruby 1.8 and Ruby 1.9)
>
> The expression:
>
>    puts(nil || 4)
>
> works as expected. It prints '4'.
>
> But this expression:
>
>    puts(nil or 4)
>
> fails... it is a syntax error, for some mysterious reason.
>
> Why? I thought the only diference between "or" and "||" is the
> precedence.

Hm, on Ruby 1.9.1 I get:
irb(main):001:0> puts nil or 4

=> 4
irb(main):002:0> puts(nil or 4)
SyntaxError: (irb):2: syntax error, unexpected keyword_or, expecting ')'
puts(nil or 4)
            ^
         from C:/Ruby19/bin/irb:12:in `<main>'
irb(main):003:0> puts(nil || 4)
4
=> nil

This seems like a bug to me, since parenthesis *should* "only" make 
method calls and precedent unambigious.

--
Phillip Gawlowski