From: Gavin Sinclair Date: 2003-01-22T14:07:13+09:00 Subject: Re: [FAQ] When should a method have parentheses? Thanks for the quick response, Dmitri. Unfortunately there is an unwritten context to the question that you would not have gained, having joined the list only recently. I agree that parentheses should be used whenever there is any doubt, and I in fact use them most of the time. However, there was a case a while ago where 'p (0..5)' failed or something, and the answer was that parentheses were required in a place where you might not expect. I think that's where the question came from. Ultimately, though, I'm not sure there will be a suitable answer for the FAQ. Finally, please note that in this list, it is preferable to write your reply in the context of the message, not at the top. Cheers, Gavin On Wednesday, January 22, 2003, 3:48:40 PM, Dmitri wrote: > From http://www.rubycentral.com/book/tut_methods.html > The optional parameters follow the method name. If there is no ambiguity > you can omit the parentheses around the argument list when calling a > method.[Other Ruby documentation sometimes calls these method calls > without parentheses ``commands.''] However, except in the simplest cases > we don't recommend this---there are some subtle problems that can trip > you up.[In particular, you must use parentheses on a method call that is > itself a parameter to another method call (unless it is the last > parameter).] Our rule is simple: if there's any doubt, use parentheses. > maybe a pointer there would be appropriate? > Gavin Sinclair wrote: >> Hi -talk, >> >> An unanswered question appears on the FAQ page. Actually, a few do, >> but this is oldest so I'll tackle it first. The problem is: I have no >> idea. Can someone provide an answer, and I'll update the FAQ. >> >> Question: When should a method have parentheses? >> >> Comment: Sometimes Ruby 1.7.x warns that parentheses will be required >> in the future. >> >> >> >> Happy answering! >> >> Gavin >> >>