# Is it possible from a class to grab the name of the object instance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [May 18, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/is-it-possible-from-a-class-to-grab-the-name-of-the-object-instance/137948 "2008-05-18T19:18:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rubisher)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/is-it-possible-from-a-class-to-grab-the-name-of-the-object-instance/137948/1 "2008-05-18T19:18:44Z")
Hello all rubyist, I fall in love of ruby some years ago when I reach to re-write in a couple of days with ruby only a scripts I spent some weeks to write with classical unix tools (awk, sed, grep, …) and the new stuff was running far more quickly. To learn more ruby, I tried also to write a script to build the linux toolchain (i.e. binutils, glibc, gcc). As far as for those tools the build sequence is the same (cleanup a previous build, configure, make, install), it was easy to design a class which I named TCModule to run each of those steps for each module (binutils, glibc, gcc). When something went wrong some where, I like to log outputs produced by each method in a file. Idealy, this file should have a name with the module name (e.g. binutils) and the on going step, typically the method name. Till now, to create this log file name, I didn’t find better way to create variabales to own to those values like: [snip] # Class of ToolChain Module: binutils|gcc|glibc class TCModule # make accessible object variables attr\_accessor :ModuleName, :Target, :Host, :Config, :Prefix, :XcPath, :Install, :Env, :Extra attr :CurrentMethod ``` # methode called by new to initialise object variables def initialize(_ModuleName, _Target, _Host, _SpecConfig, _Prefix, ``` \_XcPath, \_Install, \_Env, \_Extra) @ModuleName = \_ModuleName # name of module to build [snip] @CurrentMethod = nil # On going action name @LogPrefx = “#{$LogDir}/#{@ModuleName}#{@Extra}-#{LaunchDate}” ``` end # initialize ``` [snip] ``` # configure def _Configure @CurrentMethod = "_Configure" ``` [snip] end # \_Configure ``` # install def _Install @CurrentMethod = "_Install" return make("#{@CurrentMethod}", "install") end # _Install ``` end # class TCModule [snip] which is initialized like: \_Binutils = TCModule.new(:\_Binutils.id2name, # ModuleName: name of module to build Target, # Target: target we’re building for LocalMach, # Host: compiler to use $BinUtilsConfigP1, # Prefix: where to install $TempXC, # SpecConfig: Extra config parameters $TempXC, # XcPath: xcompiler Path “”, # Install: “”, # Env: Extra env parameters “”) # Extra: Xtra release info (pass1, 2) But to make maintenance easiest, isn’t it possible in the methods to grab the name of the object (instance) (my ModuleName) for which it’s on going to run? Tx in advance for ideas, r. ---
**Author:** ![rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rubisher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/is-it-possible-from-a-class-to-grab-the-name-of-the-object-instance/137948/2 "2008-05-19T17:42:34Z")
2008/5/18, rubisher [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > But to make maintenance easiest, isn’t it possible in the methods to grab > the name of the object (instance) (my ModuleName) for which it’s on going to > run? I remember asking if it’s possible to get a variable name using any variable method and the answer was “no”. So I assume the same for objects since basically are the same. ---
**Author:** ![rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rubisher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/is-it-possible-from-a-class-to-grab-the-name-of-the-object-instance/137948/3 "2008-05-19T18:56:57Z")
self.class.to\_s should work ---
**Author:** ![rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rubisher)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/is-it-possible-from-a-class-to-grab-the-name-of-the-object-instance/137948/4 "2008-05-24T03:11:24Z")
> a class which I named TCModule to run each of those steps for > each module (binutils, glibc, gcc). Is your code available somewhere? Especially the above quoted part spiked my interest, as I was not aware one could decouple an autoconfigured, running build-way (with or in ruby). ---
**Author:** ![rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rubisher](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rubisher)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/is-it-possible-from-a-class-to-grab-the-name-of-the-object-instance/137948/5 "2008-05-23T23:04:10Z")
Iñaki Baz C. wrote: > 2008/5/18, rubisher [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > > > But to make maintenance easiest, isn’t it possible in the methods to grab > > the name of the object (instance) (my ModuleName) for which it’s on going to > > run? > > I remember asking if it’s possible to get a variable name using any > variable method and the answer was “no”. > Yes I remember vaguely to have read something like this some where > (obvioulsy no means to find back when you want). > I also had the filling it was already sometime ago, so in the mean time > it could be possible this changed in the > implementation of ruby (I was to busy this last week to order the 3rd > Edition of “Programming Ruby” but I will do asap 😉 > So I assume the same for > objects since basically are the same. Tx for feedback, r.