Receiver
A receiver is an entity that accepts a message or signal, or an object on which a method or command operates.
The Well-Grounded Rubyist, Fourth Edition
An explicit receiver is the object written before the dot in a Ruby method call.
- How it is used
- Identifies which object receives a Ruby method call, including calls that rely on `self` instead of an explicit object.
- How deep it goes
- Explains explicit and default receivers through method-call syntax and worked class and instance examples, without descending into method-dispatch internals.
- Examples
- Uses string conversion, calls between instance methods, a composed name, and array-combining operations.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose/debug with it by identifying the object a call targets and distinguishing changes to an array receiver from variable reassignment.
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Kotlin in Action, 2E
- How it is used
- Uses receivers to add Kotlin-style operations to existing classes and to make builder-style lambdas readable.
- How deep it goes
- Explains receiver types, receiver objects, implicit this, lambda invocation, encapsulation limits, and Java compilation behavior.
- Examples
- Uses String.lastChar, buildString with StringBuilder, stored appendExcl, and a Java call to StringUtilKt.lastChar.
- What you can do after
- Apply Kotlin extension functions and receiver lambdas while translating their calls to Java static-method syntax.
100 Go Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A receiver is the parameter of a Go method that identifies the value or pointer on which the method operates.
- How it is used
- Guides Go method design by distinguishing copied receivers from receivers that can mutate the original object.
- How deep it goes
- Explains copying, mutation, deferred evaluation, and selection conditions while deferring thorough value-versus-pointer performance treatment.
- Examples
- Uses customer balances, slice appending, nested pointer data, and deferred printing to expose receiver behavior.
- What you can do after
- Apply it by selecting value or pointer receivers based on mutation, copying constraints, receiver size, and deferred-call behavior.
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Related concepts
- extensionused by · An extension is a language feature that adds functionality to an existing type without modifying its original definition.
- pointer receiverincludes · A pointer receiver is a method receiver whose parameter is a pointer to a value, allowing the method to access or modify that value.
- methodpart of · A method is a callable operation associated with an object or type and invoked through that association.
- selfequivalent to · self is Ruby's implicit reference to the object that is the current method-execution receiver.
- bindingkind of · Name binding is the association of an identifier with the program entity or value it denotes.
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