# How To: Override Initialize

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-override-initialize/119450>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 7, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-override-initialize/119450 "2007-11-07T02:18:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dark-omen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c68b51/32.png) [@dark-omen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dark-omen)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-override-initialize/119450/1 "2007-11-07T02:18:52Z")

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Hiya…

I need to override the initialize method in one of my models to set  
some defaults. Do I want to set a variable length argument list or  
not?

That is, should I do it like this

def initialize(\*args)  
… set defaults  
super(\*args)  
end

or like this:

def initialize(args)  
… set defaults  
super(args)  
end