From: Bertram Scharpf <lists@...>
Date: 2010-01-08T21:00:00+09:00
Subject: Re: when to use * arguments?

Hi,

Am Freitag, 08. Jan 2010, 18:43:41 +0900 schrieb Zhenning Guan:
> version one:
>   def say(*a)
>     a.each {|r| puts r }
>   end
>   say(1,2,3)
> 
> version two:
>   def say(a)
>     a.each {|r| puts r }
>   end
>   say([1,2,3])

> So, any different here? when should we * arguments like version one?

Sometimes you have to use splats: when you call another method and
you don't know what arguments that one takes. Object.new does this
internally. It's something like

  class Object
    class <<self
      def new *args
        instance = allocate_space
        instance.initialize *args      # <<<
        instance
      end
    end
  end

Bertram


-- 
Bertram Scharpf
Stuttgart, Deutschland/Germany
*
Support `String#notempty?': <http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/step>.