Getting `initialize': wrong number of arguments(1 for 0) (ArgumentError) for simple ruby app

Question

This is my first ruby app. And I am a stack overflow virgin... When I run the following program:

class NameApp

def intialize(name)
    @names = []
end

def name_question
    print "What is your name? "
    answer = gets.chomp
    @names += answer.to_s
    puts "The number of characters in your name is " + names.length
end


def name_length
    if @names.length > 25 then 
        print "Your name is longer than 25 characters."
    else 
        print "Your name is too short."
    end
end

end

name_app = NameApp.new("Test1")
name_app.class # => NameApp

name_app.name_question
name_app.name_length

I get this simple error message result:

name.rb:26:in `initialize': wrong number of arguments(1 for 0) (ArgumentError)
from nameapp.rb:26:in `new'
from nameapp.rb:26:in `<main>'

Can you help me trouble shoot?

Denunciatory

Answer 1

Since you have not defined the method initialize for NameApp, by default, it takes zero arguments, but you passed one argument "Test1" via the constructor new.

Distraction

Answer below regarding initialize being misspelt is more useful. – Servais

@RyanSandridge Why? That answer is just based on a guess. – Distraction

It isn't based on a guess. The code sample clearly shows that initialize was misspelled as intialize. Your answer is correct, that the method initialize was not defined; however pointing out that it was simply a spelling mistake is more useful. – Servais

Answer 2

You spelled "initialize" wrong. I did that a few times too when I was starting out, and that was hard to debug. Why ruby didn't name it "init", I'll never know.

Pergola

Answer 3

If you're reading this thread and you spelled initialize correctly the issue might be related to your super call.

This fails:

def initialize(bar:)
  super
  @bar = bar
end

And this works:

def initialize(bar:)
  super()
  @bar = bar
end

Economizer

Answer 4

For require_relative 'user' move old 'user.rb' up one level rename 'user2.rb' to 'user.rb'. Also, there is a typo.

Newlin