is a "?" at end of method name only for boolean result?

[Greg Hauptmann]

when should I use ? at the end of a method name?. for queries that
return (a) boolean value, or (b) any return values? ie any method that
returns data

Thanks

 

[Tim Hunter]

when should I use ? at the end of a method name?. for queries that
return (a) boolean value, or (b) any return values? ie any method that
returns data

Thanks

By convention the ? suffix is reserved for methods that return a boolean
value. Note that all methods return some value, even if it's just nil.

 

[Ken Bloom]

By convention the ? suffix is reserved for methods that return a boolean
value. Note that all methods return some value, even if it's just nil.

The defined? operater breaks that convention. It returns nil if the name
it's given is undefined, but a string indicating what kind of object it
is if the name is defined. So you could say the ? suffix is intended for
methods whose outputs are usually treated as boolean.

 

[Michael Morin]

when should I use ? at the end of a method name?. for queries that
return (a) boolean value, or (b) any return values? ie any method that
returns data

Thanks

Is the method asking a question or query? By the convention, the method
should has a question or query (some_thread.alive? or
some_string.empty?) and it should work in an if statement. This is only
a convention though, but it could be a little confusing if bend the
rules a little.