# How to specify access modifers for variables? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [June 1, 2007, 11:02am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-access-modifers-for-variables/105685 "2007-06-01T11:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raja)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:02am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-access-modifers-for-variables/105685/1 "2007-06-01T11:02:38Z")
I know this could be naive but still: class Person attr\_reader :genre protected :genre def psedonym @name end end In the class above, I can declare variable genre to be protected, but when I try to do the same for variable name, I get this error another.rb:3:in `protected': undefined method`Person’ for class `Person’ (NameError) And the same error props up when I comment the line #attr\_reader :genre It appears that i have to provide accessors for the variables before declaring access modifiers; and which in fact are “methods”, thus IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DECLARE ACCESS MODIFIERS FOR VARIABLES ? Can Anyone Clarify?? Thanks Raja ---
**Author:** ![raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raja)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:11am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-access-modifers-for-variables/105685/2 "2007-06-01T11:11:31Z")
Alle venerdì 1 giugno 2007, raja ha scritto: > thus IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DECLARE ACCESS > MODIFIERS FOR VARIABLES ? Yes, it’s impossible. But you don’t need it. Instance variables are always private. You can’t do: an\_object.@var (you’ll get a SyntaxError exception if you try that) So, if you want to access an object’s instance variable from outside the object, you need to provide a method which does that (note that all attr\_reader do is to define a method which returns the instance variable). After defining the method, you can make it protected or private, if you need to. I hope this helps Stefano ---
**Author:** ![raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raja)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:14am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-access-modifers-for-variables/105685/3 "2007-06-01T11:14:31Z")
On Friday 01 June 2007 11:02, raja wrote: > In the class above, I can declare variable genre to be protected, > and which in fact are “methods”, thus IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DECLARE ACCESS > MODIFIERS FOR VARIABLES ? > > Can Anyone Clarify?? > > Thanks > Raja What you have to do is: class Person # you can define public # , but stuff is public by default when it hasn’t been specified yet. belongs\_to(bla) validates\_presence\_of(hohoho) protected attr\_reader(:genre) # As example; validate needs to be protected. def validate end private def private\_method end end ---
**Author:** ![raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raja)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:22am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-access-modifers-for-variables/105685/4 "2007-06-01T11:22:33Z")
On Friday 01 June 2007 11:13, Wiebe C. wrote: > stuff Never mind, I misunderstood the question… I thought you declared the method as parameter of protected, but you use it to set the visibility of an already existing method… Answering questions when you’re just awake doesn’t work… ---
**Author:** ![raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raja)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-access-modifers-for-variables/105685/5 "2007-06-01T11:26:03Z")
Stefano C. wrote: > Yes, it’s impossible. But you don’t need it. Instance variables are > always > private. You can’t do: > … > … > I hope this helps > > Stefano yup it helps, but coming from Java background that was what I expected! Anyway though Thanks And yes I had heard about the quick ruby response, and now for the first day of my learning spree, I have experienced it too ---
**Author:** ![raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@raja](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/raja)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-access-modifers-for-variables/105685/6 "2007-06-01T11:30:34Z")
On 6/1/07, raja [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > and which in fact are “methods”, thus IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DECLARE ACCESS > MODIFIERS FOR VARIABLES ? In a word, no. Short answer: Access modifiers only apply to methods. Instance variables can only be accessed through methods, and cannot be accessed without methods. Hence, the concept of visibility does not exist for instance variables in ruby. Long answer: Although they are very similar concepts, please remember that there is a distinction between instance variables and an attributes. Although they can refer to the same “thing”, instance variables are the objects internal state, whereas attributes are (effectively) the subset of the instance variables which are exposed to the outside world. If you are accustomed to languages where you can access the attributes of an object without methods (such as in Java), it can be a little confusing. In ruby, you have to use a method to access internal state. All instance variables are accessed via accessor methods, which conveniently have the same name as the variable. As a result, you cannot declare access modifiers for instance variables because the concept of visibility (private, protected, public) only exists for methods, and not instance variables.