Bug #15535: Optional arguments for definition - Syntax Error is not the correct Error type

• Status: Rejected
• Assignee: -
• Target version: -
• ruby -v: 2.6.0p0
• Backport: 2.4: UNKNOWN, 2.5: UNKNOWN, 2.6: UNKNOWN

[waheedi (Waheed Barghouthi)]

The below definition throws a Syntax Error, while there is no syntax error and I'm not sure what is the intention behind the Syntax Error

def hello(foo="bar", bar, yanko="me")
  p "Hello"
end

The same definition below with a tiny modification in the argument set, give a Syntax OK.

def hello(foo="bar", bar="foo", yanko="me")
  p "Hello"
end

It seems when there is a required argument in the definition that happens to be in between optional arguments that triggers a Syntax Error, I think the ArgumentError is more related to it.

This has been tested on mostly every ruby version after 1.8.7 and it gave the same result.

[waheedi (Waheed Barghouthi)]

• ruby -v changed from 2.6.0p0 to 2.6.0

[waheedi (Waheed Barghouthi)]

• ruby -v changed from 2.6.0 to 2.6.0p0

[waheedi (Waheed Barghouthi)]

• Description updated (diff)

[waheedi (Waheed Barghouthi)]

• Description updated (diff)

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Status changed from Open to Rejected

Required arguments cannot be placed between optional arguments syntactically, so it must be a SyntaxError.
ArgumentError is a runtime error.