From: matz@... (Yukihiro Matsumoto)
Date: 2002-08-20T08:09:52+09:00
Subject: Re: Can't Have More Than 9 Mandatory/Optional Arguments in Ruby/C?

Hi,

In message "Can't Have More Than 9 Mandatory/Optional Arguments in Ruby/C?"
    on 02/08/19, William Djaja Tjokroaminata <billtj@y.glue.umd.edu> writes:

|In rb_scan_args() the char *fmt is specified as a string containing zero,
|one, or two digits followed by some flag characters.  Does this plainly
|mean that we cannot have more than 9 mandatory arguments?

By using rb_scan_args(), yes.  For that case (I believe it is very
rare case), you can receive arguments via C argc/argv style (-1 for
rb_define_method) or Ruby args style (-2), then check the number of
argument by yourself.

|Then, does this design mean that:
|
|"VALUE func (VALUE self, VALUR args)" is the more general format, but it
|requires more work for the C programmer.  "VALUE func (int argc, VALUE
|*argv, VALUE self)" is more like a shortcut, but it comes with some limits
|on the number of arguments.
|
|?  Or is there any other design philosophy behind these two function
|formats?

I needed both style in the implementation of the Ruby class library.
So I made both to reduce my effort.

							matz.