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Ruby Ruby Foundations Ruby Core Struct

Binary Soul
Binary Soul
4,592 Points
Posted by Binary Soul
Binary Soul
4,592 Points

Struct != Class

Hello,

can someone explain me, in easy words, what is the benefit of using a struct instead of a class? I cant see why i should use this complicated construct if i can build up a class like always.

Thanks, BS

1 Answer

Jason Seifer
STAFF
Jason Seifer
Treehouse Guest Teacher
Jason Seifer
Jason Seifer
Treehouse Guest Teacher

Hey Binary Soul! Structs are typically used when you just need a couple of getter/setter variables and methods without the need for a whole class. Or just as a shortcut. They're interchangeable for simple things:

Treehouse = Struct.new(:name, :website)

In practice, this is mostly the same as writing the following:

class Treehouse
  attr_accessor :name, :website
end

Conventionally, if you're adding a bunch of methods to a Struct, it may be time to create a class.

The struct documentation even says it:

A Struct is a convenient way to bundle a number of attributes together, using accessor methods, without having to write an explicit class.