Instance variables

## Ruby User's Guide
Instance variables

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> | Instance variables
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An instance variable has a name beginning with `@`, and its scope is confined to whatever object `self` refers to. Two different objects, even if they belong to the same class, are allowed to have different values for their instance variables. From outside the object, instance variables cannot be altered or even observed (i.e., ruby's instance variables are never public) except by whatever methods are explicitly provided by the programmer. As with globals, instance variables have the `nil` value until they are initialized.

Instance variables of ruby do not need declaration. This implies a flexible structure of objects. In fact, each instance variable is dynamically appended to an object when it is first referenced.

ruby> class InstTest
| def set_foo(n)
| @foo = n
| end
| def set_bar(n)
| @bar = n
| end
| end
nil
ruby> i = InstTest.new
#<InstTest:0x83678>
ruby> i.set_foo(2)
2
ruby> i
#<InstTest:0x83678 @foo=2>
ruby> i.set_bar(4)
4
ruby> i
#<InstTest:0x83678 @foo=2, @bar=4>

Notice above that `i` does not report a value for `@bar` until after the `set_bar` method is invoked.

Copyright (c) 2005 Mark Slagell Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License." |