Type of class

Ruby
1

Hi
How do I know if a variable is an instace of a given class

I have a method that returns a String or an Array and I have to know
outside if the returned object is and String or an Array.

Is beacuse this :
# File vendor/rails/activerecord/lib/active_record/validations.rb,
line 100
100: def on(attribute)
101: errors = @errors[attribute.to_s]
102: return nil if errors.nil?
103: errors.size == 1 ? errors.first : errors
104: end

How do I know that call on method on returned and array or an string?

Thanks

2

Alle domenica 25 febbraio 2007, J. mp ha scritto:

101: errors = @errors[attribute.to_s]
102: return nil if errors.nil?
103: errors.size == 1 ? errors.first : errors
104: end

How do I know that call on method on returned and array or an string?

Thanks

The is_a? method tells whether the receiver is an instance of the class
passed
as argument or of one of its derived class:

a=[1,2,3]

a.is_a?(Array)
=> true
a.is_a?(String)
=> false

If you need to know whether an object is an instance of exactly a
specific
class (not of derived class), you can use the == on the class:

class A
end

class B < A
end

b=B.new
b.is_a?(A)
=> true
b.class==A
=> false
b.class==B
=> true

I hope this helps

Stefano

3

Stefano C. wrote:

Alle domenica 25 febbraio 2007, J. mp ha scritto:

101: errors = @errors[attribute.to_s]
102: return nil if errors.nil?
103: errors.size == 1 ? errors.first : errors
104: end

How do I know that call on method on returned and array or an string?

Thanks

The is_a? method tells whether the receiver is an instance of the class
passed
as argument or of one of its derived class:

a=[1,2,3]

a.is_a?(Array)
=> true
a.is_a?(String)
=> false

If you need to know whether an object is an instance of exactly a
specific
class (not of derived class), you can use the == on the class:

class A
end

class B < A
end

b=B.new
b.is_a?(A)
=> true
b.class==A
=> false
b.class==B
=> true

I hope this helps

Stefano
Thanks Stefano,
Meanwhile I found (before seeing your response) another way, don’t know
which one is the best, but also works

a.instance_of? Array

Maybe they are the same methods but one is alias of the other? Or
there’s any really difference between them?

Thanks again.

4

J. mp wrote:

a.instance_of? Array

and kind_of?, and (Array === a)… check them all out
and learn what they do.