Defining Methods in Ruby

When working with Ruby, one of the fundamental concepts you'll need to understand is how to define methods. Methods are reusable blocks of code that perform a specific task. In this article, we'll explore the basics of defining methods in Ruby and how you can use them in your programs.

Basic Syntax

In Ruby, you define a method using the def keyword followed by the method name and any parameters the method takes. Here's a simple example:

def say_hello
  puts "Hello, World!"
end

In this example, we've defined a method called say_hello that simply prints out "Hello, World!" when called. To call this method, you simply use its name:

say_hello

When you run this code, you'll see "Hello, World!" printed to the console.

Parameters

Methods can also take parameters, which are values that you pass to the method when you call it. Here's an example of a method that takes a parameter:

def greet(name)
  puts "Hello, #{name}!"
end

In this example, the greet method takes a single parameter called name and prints out a personalized greeting. To call this method, you pass a value for the name parameter:

greet("Alice")

When you run this code, you'll see "Hello, Alice!" printed to the console.

Return Values

Methods in Ruby can also return a value using the return keyword. Here's an example:

def add(a, b)
  return a + b
end

In this example, the add method takes two parameters, a and b, and returns their sum. To use the return value of a method, you can assign it to a variable:

result = add(3, 5)
puts result

When you run this code, you'll see "8" printed to the console.

Default Parameters

In Ruby, you can also define methods with default parameters. Default parameters are values that the method will use if no value is provided when the method is called. Here's an example:

def greet(name="World")
  puts "Hello, #{name}!"
end

In this example, the greet method has a default parameter of "World". If you call the method without providing a value for name, it will use the default value:

greet

When you run this code, you'll see "Hello, World!" printed to the console.

Conclusion

Defining methods in Ruby is a powerful way to organize and reuse your code. By understanding the basic syntax of method definition, how to use parameters, return values, and default parameters, you can create more modular and maintainable programs. Experiment with defining your own methods in Ruby to see how they can improve the structure and readability of your code.