From: "Bennett, Patrick" <Patrick.Bennett@...>
Date: 2002-08-13T07:35:00+09:00
Subject: RE: Q) about singleton methods and access control

Christoph <chr_news@gmx.net> wrote in message

>>"Bennett, Patrick" <Patrick.Bennett@inin.com> wrote in message
>> This is what I'd "like" to do:
>> class A
>>
>>   def initialize()
>>      @varInternalOnly = 'test'
>>    end
>>
>>   def A.createSpecialA()
>>       testObj = A.new
>>       testObj.internalHelperMethod()

>internalHelperMethod is an ``instance method'' not a Class method
>(see below).  

Maybe I'm missing something here, but.... I called it from an instance.
You saw the 'testObj = A.new' - right?  ;>

>Anyway, as the short term fix you can
>simply write
>
>        testObj.send(:internalHelperMethod)

That works(!)... but why?  (scratching head)
Why does send bypass access control?

>Note that C++ static (class) method are  quite different to Ruby's class methods

I never expected them to be the same - I was just curious why a fairly 'obvious' (at least to me) situation like being
able to have a static method create instances of the classes it's defined in and access private methods wasn't supported in Ruby.


Cheers,
Patrick Bennett