Returning true or error message in Ruby
- by seaneshbaugh
I'm wondering if writing functions like this is considered good or bad form.
def test(x)
if x == 1
return true
else
return "Error: x is not equal to one."
end
end
And then to use it we do something like this:
result = test(1)
if result != true
puts result
end
result = test(2)
if result != true
puts result
end
Which just displays the error message for the second call to test.
I'm considering doing this because in a rails project I'm working on inside my controller code I make calls to a model's instance methods and if something goes wrong I want the model to return the error message to the controller and the controller takes that error message and puts it in the flash and redirects. Kinda like this
def create
@item = Item.new(params[:item])
if [email protected]?
result = @item.save_image(params[:attachment][:file])
if result != true
flash[:notice] = result
redirect_to(new_item_url) and return
end
#and so on...
That way I'm not constructing the error messages in the controller, merely passing them along, because I really don't want the controller to be concerned with what the save_image method itself does just whether or not it worked.
It makes sense to me, but I'm curious as to whether or not this is considered a good or bad way of writing methods. Keep in mind I'm asking this in the most general sense pertaining mostly to ruby, it just happens that I'm doing this in a rails project, the actual logic of the controller really isn't my concern.
