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Class: BasicObject

Relationships & Source Files
Super Chains via Extension / Inclusion / Inheritance
Class Chain:
self, Qnil
Instance Chain:
self, Qnil
Inherits: Qnil
Defined in: class.c,
gc.c,
object.c,
vm_eval.c

Overview

BasicObject is the parent class of all classes in Ruby. In particular, BasicObject is the parent class of class ::Object, which is itself the default parent class of every Ruby class:

class Foo; end
Foo.superclass    # => Object
Object.superclass # => BasicObject

BasicObject is the only class that has no parent:

BasicObject.superclass # => nil

Class BasicObject can be used to create an object hierarchy (e.g., class Delegator) that is independent of Ruby’s object hierarchy. Such objects:

  • Do not have namespace “pollution” from the many methods provided in class Object and its included module Kernel.

  • Do not have definitions of common classes, and so references to such common classes must be fully qualified (::String, not ::String).

A variety of strategies can be used to provide useful portions of the Standard Library in subclasses of BasicObject:

  • The immediate subclass could include Kernel, which would define methods such as puts, exit, etc.

  • A custom Kernel-like module could be created and included.

  • Delegation can be used via #method_missing:

    class MyObjectSystem < BasicObject
      DELEGATE = [:puts, :p]
    
      def method_missing(name, *args, &block)
        return super unless DELEGATE.include? name
        ::Kernel.send(name, *args, &block)
      end
    
      def respond_to_missing?(name, include_private = false)
        DELEGATE.include?(name)
      end
    end

What’s Here

These are the methods defined for BasicObject:

  • .new: Returns a new BasicObject instance.

  • #!: Returns the boolean negation of self: true or false.

  • #!=: Returns whether self and the given object are not equal.

  • #==: Returns whether self and the given object are equivalent.

  • #__id__: Returns the integer object identifier for self.

  • #__send__: Calls the method identified by the given symbol.

  • #equal?: Returns whether self and the given object are the same object.

  • #instance_eval: Evaluates the given string or block in the context of self.

  • #instance_exec: Executes the given block in the context of self, passing the given arguments.

  • #method_missing: Called when self is called with a method it does not define.

  • #singleton_method_added: Called when a singleton method is added to self.

  • #singleton_method_removed: Called when a singleton method is removed from self.

  • #singleton_method_undefined: Called when a singleton method is undefined in self.

Class Method Summary

  • .new constructor private

Instance Method Summary

Constructor Details

.new (private)

[ GitHub ]

Dynamic Method Handling

This class handles dynamic methods through the method_missing method

#method_missing(symbol [, *args] ) ⇒ result (private)

Invoked by Ruby when obj is sent a message it cannot handle. symbol is the symbol for the method called, and args are any arguments that were passed to it. By default, the interpreter raises an error when this method is called. However, it is possible to override the method to provide more dynamic behavior. If it is decided that a particular method should not be handled, then super should be called, so that ancestors can pick up the missing method. The example below creates a class Roman, which responds to methods with names consisting of roman numerals, returning the corresponding integer values.

class Roman
  def roman_to_int(str)
    # ...
  end

  def method_missing(symbol, *args)
    str = symbol.id2name
    begin
      roman_to_int(str)
    rescue
      super(symbol, *args)
    end
  end
end

r = Roman.new
r.iv      #=> 4
r.xxiii   #=> 23
r.mm      #=> 2000
r.foo     #=> NoMethodError
[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'vm_eval.c', line 918

static VALUE
rb_method_missing(int argc, const VALUE *argv, VALUE obj)
{
    rb_execution_context_t *ec = GET_EC();
    raise_method_missing(ec, argc, argv, obj, ec->method_missing_reason);
    UNREACHABLE_RETURN(Qnil);
}

Instance Method Details

#!Boolean

Boolean negate.

[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'object.c', line 263

VALUE
rb_obj_not(VALUE obj)
{
    return RBOOL(!RTEST(obj));
}

#!=(other) ⇒ Boolean

Returns true if two objects are not-equal, otherwise false.

[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'object.c', line 279

VALUE
rb_obj_not_equal(VALUE obj1, VALUE obj2)
{
    VALUE result = rb_funcall(obj1, id_eq, 1, obj2);
    return rb_obj_not(result);
}

#==(other) ⇒ Boolean #equal?(other) ⇒ Boolean #eql?(other) ⇒ Boolean
Also known as: #equal?

Equality — At the ::Object level, #== returns true only if obj and other are the same object. Typically, this method is overridden in descendant classes to provide class-specific meaning.

Unlike #==, the #equal? method should never be overridden by subclasses as it is used to determine object identity (that is, a.equal?(b) if and only if a is the same object as b):

obj = "a"
other = obj.dup

obj == other      #=> true
obj.equal? other  #=> false
obj.equal? obj    #=> true

The #eql? method returns true if obj and other refer to the same hash key. This is used by ::Hash to test members for equality. For any pair of objects where #eql? returns true, the #hash value of both objects must be equal. So any subclass that overrides #eql? should also override #hash appropriately.

For objects of class ::Object, #eql? is synonymous with #==. Subclasses normally continue this tradition by aliasing #eql? to their overridden #== method, but there are exceptions. ::Numeric types, for example, perform type conversion across #==, but not across #eql?, so:

1 == 1.0     #=> true
1.eql? 1.0   #=> false
[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'object.c', line 245

VALUE
rb_obj_equal(VALUE obj1, VALUE obj2)
{
    return RBOOL(obj1 == obj2);
}

#__id__Integer #object_idInteger

Returns an integer identifier for obj.

The same number will be returned on all calls to object_id for a given object, and no two active objects will share an id.

Note: that some objects of builtin classes are reused for optimization. This is the case for immediate values and frozen string literals.

BasicObject implements __id__, ::Kernel implements object_id.

Immediate values are not passed by reference but are passed by value: nil, true, false, Fixnums, Symbols, and some Floats.

Object.new.object_id  == Object.new.object_id  # => false
(21 * 2).object_id    == (21 * 2).object_id    # => true
"hello".object_id     == "hello".object_id     # => false
"hi".freeze.object_id == "hi".freeze.object_id # => true
[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'gc.c', line 1723

VALUE
rb_obj_id(VALUE obj)
{
    /* If obj is an immediate, the object ID is obj directly converted to a Numeric.
     * Otherwise, the object ID is a Numeric that is a non-zero multiple of
     * (RUBY_IMMEDIATE_MASK + 1) which guarantees that it does not collide with
     * any immediates. */
    return rb_find_object_id(rb_gc_get_objspace(), obj, rb_gc_impl_object_id);
}

#send(symbol [, args...]) ⇒ Object #__send__(symbol [, args...]) ⇒ Object #send(string [, args...]) ⇒ Object #__send__(string [, args...]) ⇒ Object

Invokes the method identified by symbol, passing it any arguments specified. When the method is identified by a string, the string is converted to a symbol.

BasicObject implements __send__, ::Kernel implements send. __send__ is safer than send when obj has the same method name like Socket. See also public_send.

class Klass
  def hello(*args)
    "Hello " + args.join(' ')
  end
end
k = Klass.new
k.send :hello, "gentle", "readers"   #=> "Hello gentle readers"
[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'vm_eval.c', line 1307

VALUE
rb_f_send(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE recv)
{
    return send_internal_kw(argc, argv, recv, CALL_FCALL);
}

#==(other) ⇒ Boolean #equal?(other) ⇒ Boolean #eql?(other) ⇒ Boolean

Alias for #==.

#instance_eval(string [, filename [, lineno]] ) ⇒ Object #instance_eval {|obj| ... } ⇒ Object

Evaluates a string containing Ruby source code, or the given block, within the context of the receiver (obj). In order to set the context, the variable self is set to obj while the code is executing, giving the code access to obj’s instance variables and private methods.

When instance_eval is given a block, obj is also passed in as the block’s only argument.

When instance_eval is given a ::String, the optional second and third parameters supply a filename and starting line number that are used when reporting compilation errors.

class KlassWithSecret
  def initialize
    @secret = 99
  end
  private
  def the_secret
    "Ssssh! The secret is #{@secret}."
  end
end
k = KlassWithSecret.new
k.instance_eval { @secret }          #=> 99
k.instance_eval { the_secret }       #=> "Ssssh! The secret is 99."
k.instance_eval {|obj| obj == self } #=> true
[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'vm_eval.c', line 2200

static VALUE
rb_obj_instance_eval_internal(int argc, const VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
{
    return specific_eval(argc, argv, self, TRUE, RB_PASS_CALLED_KEYWORDS);
}

#instance_exec(arg...) {|var...| ... } ⇒ Object

Executes the given block within the context of the receiver (obj). In order to set the context, the variable self is set to obj while the code is executing, giving the code access to obj’s instance variables. Arguments are passed as block parameters.

class KlassWithSecret
  def initialize
    @secret = 99
  end
end
k = KlassWithSecret.new
k.instance_exec(5) {|x| @secret+x }   #=> 104
[ GitHub ]

  
# File 'vm_eval.c', line 2230

static VALUE
rb_obj_instance_exec_internal(int argc, const VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
{
    return yield_under(self, TRUE, argc, argv, RB_PASS_CALLED_KEYWORDS);
}

#singleton_method_added(symbol) (private)

Invoked as a callback whenever a singleton method is added to the receiver.

module Chatty
  def Chatty.singleton_method_added(id)
    puts "Adding #{id.id2name}"
  end
  def self.one()     end
  def two()          end
  def Chatty.three() end
end

produces:

Adding singleton_method_added
Adding one
Adding three
[ GitHub ]

#singleton_method_removed(symbol) (private)

Invoked as a callback whenever a singleton method is removed from the receiver.

module Chatty
  def Chatty.singleton_method_removed(id)
    puts "Removing #{id.id2name}"
  end
  def self.one()     end
  def two()          end
  def Chatty.three() end
  class << self
    remove_method :three
    remove_method :one
  end
end

produces:

Removing three
Removing one
[ GitHub ]

#singleton_method_undefined(symbol) (private)

Invoked as a callback whenever a singleton method is undefined in the receiver.

module Chatty
  def Chatty.singleton_method_undefined(id)
    puts "Undefining #{id.id2name}"
  end
  def Chatty.one()   end
  class << self
     undef_method(:one)
  end
end

produces:

Undefining one
[ GitHub ]