What is the name of the <=> operator in Ruby? What do they call it?

Question

In Ruby there is the <=> operator. In the API they do not name its name, just:

The class must define the <=> operator...

Comparable uses <=> to implement the conventional comparison...

...the objects in the collection must also implement a meaningful <=> operator...

What is its name?

Piscatorial

Answer 1

See @Tony's above. However, it's also called (in slang) the "spaceship operator".

Zig

Answer 2

It's called the Combined Comparison Operator

Combined comparison operator. Returns 0 if first operand equals second, 1 if first operand is greater than the second and -1 if first operand is less than the second.

(a <=> b) returns -1.

Evermore

That's what it's called, but nobody calls it that. – Terina

@JörgWMittag: We call it the "spaceship"! – Zig

@Zig We’re more addicted to real life, so we call it “nunchaku”. But “spaceship” will be my fave from now on. – Brunella

@mudasobwa: Who's "we" in this case? – Zig

@Zig We with colleagues. – Brunella

Answer 3

This is called the combined comparison operator. Returns 0 if first operand equals second, 1 if first operand is greater than the second and -1 if first operand is less than the second.

Source

Wriggle

Answer 4

Ive also heard it just called the double hash rocket

Garnettgarnette