Why is the constructor method named initialize? Why not name it new to
be
consistent?
Mike S.
On Jun 12, 2007, at 10:34 AM, Mike S. wrote:
Why is the constructor method named initialize? Why not name it new
to be
consistent?
Typically, :new is a class method, which calls the instantiated
object’s :initialize instance method, if one is available, with the
parameters passed to :new.
You can override the class method :new (this is a good place to use
super), but be sure to return the newly minted object. Often you can
just override the :initialize instance method, however.
If there’s no :new class method in your class definition, then you’re
getting Object.new (or some other super class’s :new).
Mike S. wrote:
Why is the constructor method named initialize? Why not name it new
to be consistent?
I had this same question when I first started out. The answer I came
to realize is that “new” is a class method that allocates the object,
and “initialize” is the instance method that does the per-object setup
you want.
For more details on how I came to realize this, read the “new versus
initialize” section of this post:
Short URL: http://rubyurl.com/n1Q
Full URL:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/tree/browse_frm/thread/c3b22bf2d53bd68b/72313022abed07f9?rnum=1&q=matz+is+smart&_done=%2Fgroup%2Fcomp.lang.ruby%2Fbrowse_frm%2Fthread%2Fc3b22bf2d53bd68b%2F1b4160db0a57e90f%3Flnk%3Dgst%26q%3Dmatz%2Bis%2Bsmart%26rnum%3D1%26#doc_72313022abed07f9
Thanks! That link makes it much clearer.
Mike S.
Why is the constructor method named initialize? Why not name it new
to be
consistent?
Typically, :new is a class method, which calls the instantiated
object’s :initialize instance method, if one is available, with the
parameters passed to :new.
You can override the class method :new (this is a good place to use
super), but be sure to return the newly minted object. Often you can
just override the :initialize instance method, however.If there’s no :new class method in your class definition, then you’re
getting Object.new (or some other super class’s :new).
Would it be better to have initialize called ‘on_new’ so that the
connection is more firm?
Thoughts?
-=R
On 20 Nov 2008, at 23:46, Roger P. wrote:
If there’s no :new class method in your class definition, then you’re
getting Object.new (or some other super class’s :new).Would it be better to have initialize called ‘on_new’ so that the
connection is more firm?
Thoughts?
Unfortunately :on_new assumes that :initialize is only ever called
from :new, which isn’t always the case.
Ellie
Eleanor McHugh
Games With Brains
http://slides.games-with-brains.net
raise ArgumentError unless @reality.responds_to? :reason