From: Gavin Sinclair <gsinclair@...>
Date: 2002-12-02T12:31:16+09:00
Subject: Re: class << self  (was Re: [FAQ] What do some of Ruby's symbols mean?)


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Kelly" <billk@cts.com>


>
> >  Therefore, ['self'] is only meaningful inside instance methods.
>
> Hang on.... let the beauty of Ruby flow through you... [snip]
>
> The beauty here, folding in meta-classes into the mix - and, as I
> understand it - is: Class, and the definitions thereof, in Ruby, are
> less of a special case than languages such as C++ or Java.  'self' *is*
> relevant inside a class definition in Ruby.  Think about the possible
> implications of the interpreter actually executing statements inside
> a class definition when they occur in the source...

I'm well aware of that, and have seen it used to great effect: the
auto-generation of a whole lot of methods.  Heck, even attr_* does this, and
that's what I love about Ruby.

I very much like the meta-class stuff.  It's just that - like it or not -
"class << self" is probably a lot more confusing for new people than anything
else about Ruby.

> . . . Anyway, I'd recommened the section in chapter 19 of Pickaxe,
> entitled, "What's the Meta?" -- I just re-read it myself and I'd
> forgotten a bit of it............

Will do.  Thanks for the tip.

Cheers,
Gavin