Ensure Ruby returns the correct value

Ruby has implicit returns for any possible block that I can think of, except ensure. There might be more, but this is the only one that I can think of now.

So in order to return something from inside the ensure block we must use the return reserved word explicitly. Check this out:

def check_this_out
  yield if block_given?
  :ok
rescue
  :error
ensure
  :ensured
end

irb()> check_this_out { "should work" }
=> :ok

irb()> check_this_out { raise "should fail" }
=> :error

As we can see even though the ensure code runs on all calls it does not return :ensured.

Here's the code with the explicit return:

def check_this_out_explicit_ensure_return
  yield if block_given?
  :ok
rescue
  :error
ensure
  return :ensured
end

irb()> check_this_out_explicit_ensure_return { "should work" }
=> :ensured

irb()> check_this_out_explicit_ensure_return { raise "should fail" }
=> :ensured