From: stevec890@... (Steve Cooper)
Date: 2004-01-19T04:10:03+09:00
Subject: Newbie question re. blocks & variable scope

Hi,

I'd like to ask for some help with local variable scope.  I understand
that the scope of a local variable is the "do...end" block in which it
is created.  However, the code below shows that the value assigned to
the variable within a block does not persist after the single
iteration in which the variable is given that value, although the
variable is still defined in a later iteration. That is, in the idx=2
iteration, Ruby does not remember that a=11 in the previous iteration,
but it also does not complain about an undefined local variable "a"
(which it of course does outside the block). I haven't been able to
find this behavior mentioned in the documentation or in this
group--can you point me to something that will clarify for me what is
going on?

Thanks,
Steve

data=[1,2]
data.each do | idx|
	if idx == 1
		a = 11
		print "idx=1: a=",a,"\n"
	elsif idx == 2
		b = 12
		print "idx=2: a=",a," b=",b,"\n"
	end
end
print "after:\n"
print "a=",a," b=",b,"\n"
	
>c:\ruby\bin\ruby test.rb
idx=1: a=11
idx=2: a=nil b=12
after:
test.rb:12: undefined local variable or method `a' for main:Object
(NameError)
>Exit code: 1