Defining Methods

Methods help you write reusable and modular code in Ruby.

In this lesson, you will learn how to define and use methods with parameters and return values.

Defining a Simple Method

Methods in Ruby are defined using the def keyword.

def say_hello
  puts 'Hello, Ruby!'
end

say_hello

Methods with Parameters

Methods can take parameters to work with different values.

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

greet('Alice')

Default Parameters

You can assign default values to method parameters.

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

greet

greet('Alice')

Methods with Return Values

Methods can return values using the return keyword.

def square(number)
  return number * number
end

puts square(4)

Returning Multiple Values

Methods can return multiple values as an array.

def get_coordinates
  return 10, 20
end

x, y = get_coordinates
puts "X: #{x}, Y: #{y}"

Calling Methods Inside Other Methods

Methods can call other methods for modularity.

def square(n)
  n * n
end

def cube(n)
  n * square(n)
end

puts cube(3)

Using Methods with Conditional Statements

Methods can include conditional logic.

def check_age(age)
  if age >= 18
    'Adult'
  else
    'Minor'
  end
end

puts check_age(20)

Congratulations!

You have learned how to define and use methods in Ruby.

Next, you will learn about blocks, Procs, and Lambdas.