From: Tom Sawyer <transami@...>
Date: 2002-08-10T06:34:32+09:00
Subject: RE: ambiguity between local variable assignment and writter method

On Fri, 2002-08-09 at 15:19, Rich Kilmer wrote:
> 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)

that's not a bad option. this way you could actually use @instance=
instead of self.instance= and it would also make for good form. 

not as "obvious", from the programmer's perspective, as my solution, but
it doesn't incur a speed hit.

good thinking, rich.

does anyone see any problems with this possibility?

~transami