From: Rich Kilmer <rich@...>
Date: 2002-08-10T06:19:25+09:00
Subject: RE: ambiguity between local variable assignment and writter method

How about:

class Person
  def initialize(name, age)
    @name = name # calls name=(name) if self.name= exists
    @age = age # set @age because not self.age=
  end

  def name=(name)
    raise "Name needs to be String!" unless name.kind_of? String
    @name = name # sets @name because in scope of name=
  end
end

You change the behavior of @var=value to call the self.var= method if
it exists unless you are in the self.var= method, then you set the var.

It would only effect performance of @var= (or @var for reader)

-rich

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mathieu Bouchard [mailto:matju@sympatico.ca]
> Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 4:47 PM
> To: ruby-talk ML
> Subject: Re: ambiguity between local variable assignment and writter
> method
> 
> 
> On Sat, 10 Aug 2002, Tom Sawyer wrote:
> > why couldn't ruby just check to see if there was such a setter
method
> > first, prior to assuming it a local variable assignment? the only
> > consequence of this would be that you could not use local variable
names
> > identical to your method names. something i tend to do anyway.
> 
> Because of the wild ways in which Ruby can do inheritance
> (<,<<,#include,#extend) and delegation (#method_missing), methods may
pop
> up in unplanned spots. Your feature causes a leakage of influence
between
> the local namespaces and the method namespaces, which is highly
> undesirable semantically ("hairy"), in addition of really slowing
things
> down.
> 
> ________________________________________________________________
> Mathieu Bouchard                       http://artengine.ca/matju
>