I'm trying to teach myself the basics of Ruby (based on the guide at
http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram), and I ran across the Return method.  I'm
not clear on what it does and how it works, though, and all of the
searches I made for it didn't address the method itself.

Any help?
-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

The word "return" is a reserved word in ruby, just like the words
"def", "if", "while", etc...

"return" is used in a method to exit the method and to return the
given value to the caller.  In principal, you could write

def compute_square(x)
  return x*x
end

...although The Ruby Way(tm) would be to simply write:

def compute_square(x)
  x*x
end

since, by the definition of the language, the return value of a method
is (99.99% of the time) the last expression computed in the method.

--wpd


On Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 8:33 AM, James Schoonmaker
<james.schoonmaker@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm trying to teach myself the basics of Ruby (based on the guide at
> http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram), and I ran across the Return method.  I'm
> not clear on what it does and how it works, though, and all of the
> searches I made for it didn't address the method itself.
>
> Any help?
> --
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
>
>

Patrick Doyle wrote:
> The word "return" is a reserved word in ruby, just like the words
> "def", "if", "while", etc...
> 
> "return" is used in a method to exit the method and to return the
> given value to the caller.  In principal, you could write
> 
> def compute_square(x)
>   return x*x
> end
> 
> ...although The Ruby Way(tm) would be to simply write:
> 
> def compute_square(x)
>   x*x
> end
> 
> since, by the definition of the language, the return value of a method
> is (99.99% of the time) the last expression computed in the method.
> 

You can use it to pick what you want returned if it is not the last 
thing in the method.

e.g.

def myMethod s
  d = 'foo'
  s.upcase!
end

p myMethod("hiya")

=>  "HIYA"

However

def myMethod s
  d = "foo"
  s.upcase!
  return d
end

p myMethod("hiya")

=> "foo"

-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

Lloyd Linklater wrote:
> def myMethod s
> =C2=A0 d =3D 'foo'
> =C2=A0 s.upcase!
> end
>
> p myMethod("hiya")
>
> =3D> =C2=A0"HIYA"
>
> However
>
> def myMethod s
> =C2=A0 d =3D "foo"
> =C2=A0 s.upcase!
> =C2=A0 return d
> end
>
> p myMethod("hiya")

Yes, but:
def myMethod s
  d =3D "foo"
  s.upcase!
  d
end
p myMethod("hiya")

Does the same without return.

=2D-=20
Jabber: sepp2k@jabber.org
ICQ: 205544826

Sebastian Hungerecker wrote:
> Lloyd Linklater wrote:
>>
>> def myMethod s
>>   d = "foo"
>>   s.upcase!
>>   return d
>> end
>>
>> p myMethod("hiya")
> 
> Yes, but:
> def myMethod s
>   d = "foo"
>   s.upcase!
>   d
> end
> p myMethod("hiya")
> 
> Does the same without return.

While that is true, I wanted to keep it to the point for this thread.  I 
did refer to it when I said,

> Lloyd Linklater wrote:
>>
>> You can use it to pick what you want returned if it is not the last 
>> thing in the method.
-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.