From: yves.senn@...
Date: 2015-08-19T11:43:44+00:00
Subject: [ruby-core:70460] [Ruby trunk - Bug #11465] [Open] `Array#flatten` calls `to_ary` on objects with `method_missing` even if `respond_to_missing?(:to_ary)` returns `false`.

Issue #11465 has been reported by Yves Senn.

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Bug #11465: `Array#flatten` calls `to_ary` on objects with `method_missing` even if `respond_to_missing?(:to_ary)` returns `false`.
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/11465

* Author: Yves Senn
* Status: Open
* Priority: Normal
* Assignee: 
* ruby -v: ruby 2.2.2p95 (2015-04-13 revision 50295) [x86_64-darwin14]
* Backport: 2.0.0: UNKNOWN, 2.1: UNKNOWN, 2.2: UNKNOWN
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I noticed this behavior while working on an issue reported on the Rails tracker: https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/21296
I put up a reproduction along with some details about the issue in a Gist: https://gist.github.com/senny/02ee933cc75e7ac8093f

The problem is that `Array#flatten` calls `to_ary` on objects with `method_missing` even if `respond_to_missing(:to_ary)` returns false.

~~~ruby
class RespondToMissing
  def respond_to_missing?(method, stuff)
    return false if method == :to_ary
    super
  end

  def method_missing(*args)
    super
  end
end

trace = TracePoint.new(:raise) do |tp|
  p tp.raised_exception
  puts tp.raised_exception.backtrace.join("\n")
  puts
end
trace.enable

RespondToMissing.new.respond_to? :to_ary # => false
[RespondToMissing.new].flatten

# OUTPUT:
# false
# #<NoMethodError: undefined method `to_ary' for #<RespondToMissing:0x007fd57322ce78>>
# script.rb:10:in `method_missing'
# script.rb:38:in `flatten'
# script.rb:38:in `<main>'
~~~

If the objects with `method_missing` also define their own `respond_to?` it works as expected:

~~~ruby
class RespondTo
  def respond_to?(method)
    super
  end

  def method_missing(*args)
    super
  end
end

trace = TracePoint.new(:raise) do |tp|
  p tp.raised_exception
  puts tp.raised_exception.backtrace.join("\n")
  puts
end
trace.enable

p RespondTo.new.respond_to? :to_ary # => false
[RespondTo.new].flatten # no internal exceptions are raised

# OUTPUT:
# false
~~~

### Expected Behavior
I expect `respond_to_missing?` to be considered (same as `respond_to?`) before `Array#flatten` calls `#to_ary`.

### Workaround
As described above it's possible to work around this issue by also defining a `respond_to?` method. Another workaround is to define `to_ary` and return `nil`.



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