Bug #1140: Parsing error gives method_missing a nonexistant method name

• Status: Closed
• Assignee: -
• Target version: Ruby 1.8.6
• ruby -v: ruby 1.8.6 (2007-09-24 patchlevel 111) [i386-mswin32]

[simian (Ben Rayfield)]

=begin
This does not happen consistently but I have seen it about 5 times.

My operating system is Windows Server 2003 SP2.

my code: def method_missing method_name, *params

method_name.inspect is :backgroundColor=

Maybe I dont understand how method names are represented, but I thought the method name should be "backgroundColor" or "=" but not the concat of both.

Parsing fails in element.rb, which I attached:

def highlight(set_or_clear)
if set_or_clear == :set
begin
@original_color ||= style.backgroundColor
style.backgroundColor = @container.activeObjectHighLightColor
rescue
@original_color = nil
end
else # BUG: assumes is :clear, but could actually be anything
begin
style.backgroundColor = @original_color unless @original_color == nil
rescue
# we could be here for a number of reasons...
# e.g. page may have reloaded and the reference is no longer valid
ensure
@original_color = nil
end
end
end

...my code...:238:in method_missing' c:/ruby/rubyinstalled/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/watir-1.5.3/./watir/element.rb:194: in highlight'
c:/ruby/rubyinstalled/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/watir-1.5.3/./watir/element.rb:227:
in click!' c:/ruby/rubyinstalled/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/watir-1.5.3/./watir/element.rb:209: in click'
...my code...
=end

[pit (Pit Capitain)]

=begin
Ben, if you "don't understand how method names are represented" then why are you entering this as a bug instead of reading one of Ruby's introductory books or asking on the mailing list? Don't you think the maintainers of Ruby should better spend their time improving Ruby instead of answering questions like yours?
=end

[simian (Ben Rayfield)]

=begin
Please close this as Not-A-Bug.

I apologise for not finding this earlier:

"Methods that end with an equals sign (=) are special because Ruby allows them to be invoked using assignment syntax. If an object o has a method named x=, then the following two lines of code do the very same thing:
o.x=(1) # Normal method invocation syntax
o.x = 1 #Method invocation through assignment"

http://books.google.com/books?id=jcUbTcr5XWwC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=ruby+method+equals&source=web&ots=fHDkwd7ybC&sig=nI4zpxc836knAK1hIx0rXXiFcOQ&hl=en&ei=MqyVSfPGB4risAPh--W-Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA6,M1

I have fixed my problem by putting the method_missing in a class instead of in global code where it replaced the method_missing in element.rb.
=end

[matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto)]

• Status changed from Open to Closed

=begin

=end