# Re-defining an initialize method

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-defining-an-initialize-method/57933>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [April 16, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-defining-an-initialize-method/57933 "2006-04-16T15:37:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dirk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@dirk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dirk)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-defining-an-initialize-method/57933/1 "2006-04-16T15:37:03Z")

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hi all,  
while editing a class, i caught myself doing this:

class Foobar  
alias initialize old\_initialize  
def initialize  
old\_initialize  
# code  
end  
end

and it doesn’t look nice to me, is this really horrible in any way? or  
is it  
something i should use, whenever needed?  
greetings, Dirk.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dirk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@dirk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dirk)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-defining-an-initialize-method/57933/2 "2006-04-16T15:43:15Z")

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2006/4/16, Dirk M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):

> and it doesn’t look nice to me, is this really horrible in any way? or is  
> it  
> something i should use, whenever needed?  
> greetings, Dirk.

i’m sorry, of course it should have been this:

alias old\_initialize initialize

greetings, Dirk.