# Everything is a object? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [April 4, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/everything-is-a-object/91040 "2007-04-04T00:49:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jamal](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/35a633/32.png) [@jamal](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jamal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 11:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/everything-is-a-object/91040/41 "2007-04-07T11:24:14Z")
On Fri, Apr 06, 2007 at 10:24:58PM +0900, Jamal S. wrote: > Now the question is, > > When does the instance variable holds the object itself? Instance variables hold references to what ever object you assigned to them. > Two different objects, even if they were the same. > Perhaps you’d find it helpful if you tried to work out yourself what was > going on - and if you can’t, explain your own explanation and why you > think > it is wrong. But to answer it for you: (1) A.new generates a new instance of class A. Every time you invoke A.new you get a fresh object. Each object has a unique object\_id during its lifetime. (2) ‘@one = A.new’ assigns (a reference to) the newly-created object into an instance variable. Since this assignment is “out in the wild”, i.e. not inside any “class Foo … end” or “def bar … end” construct, then you are assigning to an instance variable of a top-level session object called ‘main’ A longer way of writing it would have been: main.instance\_variable\_set(:@one, Foo.new) Then assigning to @two you’ll get another object reference stored there. Clearly then, puts @one.object\_id and puts @two.object\_id will show you distinct references to the two distinct objects you created. Try also: puts main.inspect puts main.instance\_variables However unless you’re just playing around in irb, nobody creates instance variables inside ‘main’. You normally create them within an object of your own. Brian. [Previous page](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/everything-is-a-object/91040.md?page=2)