why attr_accessor

I keep bump into this problem, where I pick up some basic long ago, after a while, get too used to it and forgot the reason why something is done in a particular way.

If I have written about it, then I have a better understanding and longer memory. Like the collection_select method which I drawn a illustration and post about it sometimes ago, it stuck in my memory till now.

This idea is not really new, you learn by teaching, or at least write or blog about it. All that help to clarify your thought.

And so, to help me internalized the reason behind attr_accessor, I quickly googled and read thru this from stackoverflow, yet, am gonna write about it as a process of internalization. Ha.

You keep writing attr_accessor, one day you totally forgot why we did attr_accessor at the first place. Why attr_accessor?

class Human
  def name=(str)
    @name = str
  end
 
  def name
    @name
  end
end

You do that to assign variable to a value, then call the value. This is common repetitive task. Programming is all about eliminating repetitive tasks. So you can do this in ruby

class Human
  attr_reader :name
  attr_writer :name
end

where attr_reader replace name method part, and attr_writer replace the name=(str) method. Still, often attr_writer and attr_reader often come in pair, why not just do it in one step.

class Human
  attr_accessor :name
end

I created a diagram hopefully could better illustrate this in one glance.

That is it. Already felt that now this tie deeper into my memory.