Setting method local variables from a proc - ruby

Question

If I have a class with two instance variables #x and #y, I can change them from a proc using self.instance_exec:
class Location
attr_accessor :x, :y
def initialize
#x = 0
#y = 0
end
def set &block
self.instance_exec(&block)
end
end
location = Location.new
location.set do
#x = rand(100)
#y = rand(100)
end
puts location.x
puts location.y
If I have a class with a method set with two local variables x and y, I can use proc return values to set them:
class Location
def set &block
x = 0;
y = 0;
x, y = block.call()
# do something with x and y
puts x
puts y
end
end
location = Location.new
location.set do
x = rand(100)
y = rand(100)
[x, y]
end
Is there a way to access the set method local variables x and y from the proc without using return values?

Answer 1

You can do it, sort of, but it isn't pretty
There is a way for block to set a variable in a calling method, but it isn't pretty. You can pass in a binding, then eval some code using the binding:
def foo(binding)
binding.eval "x = 2"
end
x = 1
foo(binding)
p x # => 2
Blocks also carry with them the binding in which they were defined, so if a block is being passed, then:
def foo(&block)
block.binding.eval "x = 2"
end
x = 1
foo {}
p x # => 2
What's in the block doesn't matter, in this case. It's just being used as a carrier for the binding.
Other ways to achieve the same goal
Yield an object
A more pedestrian way for a block to interact with it's caller is to pass an object to the block:
class Point
attr_accessor :x
attr_accessor :y
end
class Location
def set
point = Point.new
yield point
p point.x # => 10
p point.y # => 20
end
end
location = Location.new
location.set do |point|
point.x = 10
point.y = 20
end
This is often preferred to fancier techniques: It's easy to understand both its implementation and its use.
instance_eval an object
If you want to (but you probably shouldn't want to), the block's caller can use instance_eval/instance_exec to call the block. This sets self to the object, for that block.
class Location
def set(&block)
point = Point.new
point.instance_eval(&block)
p point.x # => 10
p point.y # => 20
end
end
location = Location.new
location.set do
self.x = 10
self.y = 20
end
You see that the block had to use use self. when calling the writers, otherwise new, local variables would have been declared, which is not what is wanted here.
Yield or instance_eval an object
Even though you still probably shouldn't use instance_eval, sometimes it's useful. You don't always know when it's good, though, so let's let the method's caller decide which technique to use. All the method has to do is to check that the block has parameters:
class Location
def set(&block)
point = Point.new
if block.arity == 1
block.call point
else
point.instance_eval(&block)
end
p point.x
p point.y
end
end
Now the user can have the block executed in the scope of the point:
location = Location.new
location.set do
self.x = 10
self.y = 20
end
# => 10
# => 20
or it can have the point passed to it:
location.set do |point|
point.x = 30
point.y = 40
end
# => 30
# => 40