Question

For instance, this takes 4 lines which is too much space for such a simple operation:

if something_is_true
  puts 'error'
  return
end

this one is a one-liner but looks awkward.

if something_is_true; puts 'error'; return; end

Can we do something like

# it would be great if this would work because it is short and readable
puts 'error' and return if something_is_true

Answer 1

I agree with @NedBatchelder that your original code is probably best. Others have pointed out that in your particular example, you can use return puts 'error'.

Still, for the sake of learning, you can group multiple statements with parentheses, and therefore use a small number of statements in places where you could otherwise use only one. You said:

# it would be great if this would work because it is short and readable
puts 'error' and return if something_is_true

You can do this with:

(puts 'error'; return) if something_is_true