From: Sean Russell <ser@...>
Date: 2002-05-25T01:16:32+09:00
Subject: Re: confused about access control

Alan Chen wrote:

> foo is an instance of String, but Foo isn't a subclass of String.
> Even if Foo were a subclass of String, foo.undot! is trying to publically
> access the undot! method.

Or, to put it another way:

>> irb(main):007:0> class Foo
>> irb(main):008:1>   foo = '..123'
>> irb(main):009:1>   foo.undot!
>> irb(main):010:1> end
....
>> "Protected methods can be invoked only by objects of the defining
>> class and its subclasses."

The object that is /invoking/ undot! is Foo, not foo, and Foo has nothing to 
do with String.

-- 
 |..  "To understand recursion, you need to understand recursion."
<|>   -- anon
/|\   
/|    
 |