# Noob Question: New to Programming

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-question-new-to-programming/156955>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 5, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-question-new-to-programming/156955 "2009-01-05T20:25:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![erubin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/82dd89/32.png) [@erubin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/erubin)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-question-new-to-programming/156955/1 "2009-01-05T20:25:15Z")

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Hey I am very new to ruby I am trying to learn as much as I can, I was  
looking at this repository and I am curious what this method actually  
means.

def self.create\_new(params={})

Could someone break it down to me I apologize I am new I do not  
understand what the “self.create” means

Thanks  
Eric

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![erubin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/82dd89/32.png) [@erubin](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/erubin)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/noob-question-new-to-programming/156955/2 "2009-01-05T21:36:18Z")

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Eric Raio wrote:

> Hey I am very new to ruby I am trying to learn as much as I can, I was  
> looking at this repository and I am curious what this method actually  
> means.
> 
> def self.create\_new(params={})
> 
> Could someone break it down to me I apologize I am new I do not  
> understand what the “self.create” means

Start here:

[http://tryruby.hobix.com/](http://tryruby.hobix.com/)

Next, you gotta walk before you can run. Print out any of the excellent  
Ruby  
books and curl up with it! Reciting them ain’t the best use for this  
newsgroup.  
If I told you “define a class method, not instance method, that can call  
with  
nothing or with an option-hash”, then we would get mired in recursive  
definitions…