Can a ruby gem/module be added just like a java jar file?

Question

I use Eclispse Kepler with DLTK plugin for ruby. I am unable to "require" nokogiri module because it cannot be found by eclipse. I tried some gem install command from some website and that did not help. Now, I don't want to use commandline until I first master Ruby programming.

I learned that I can add java jars to my project by creating a lib folder, copying jars to that folder and then adding them all to the build path. So easy, right ?

Can I do the same thing for ruby gems and modules ? Ideally, I'd like to use only the IDE for this instead of using commandline and complext install scripts.

Please help.

I know I'm not supposed to comment on this, but I just have to give you an upvote for your name and profile. You should have asked the question in broken English though — Adam Plocher, Oct 18 '14 at 22:54

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 12 '14 at 13:48

5

If this gem already installed with all dependencies, then you can add it with simple require command:

require "/path_to_gems/gem_name/lib/gem_name"

In my case the command is:

require '/Users/yukke/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.1.1/gems/nokogiri-1.6.1/lib/nokogiri'

Otherwise you can try to require rubygems first:

require "rubygems"
require "gem-name"

answered Oct 12 '14 at 13:48

Alexander Karmes

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Hmm...I am guessing that there is a folder inside my ruby installation where i can add all "plugin" libraries like nokogiri. Is that correct ? If its so simple, then I could simply go to ruby 2.0 (installed with exe installer) and put the required modules into the right folder. Please advise. Thanks. Chenqui. – Erran Morad Oct 13 '14 at 01:24

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 18 '14 at 13:51

2

I would suggest maybe using a different IDE with better Ruby support, such as Aptana, which is Eclipse-based but has a lot of additional addons to support Ruby development. You can install Ruby gems in it on the start page, or through the integrated terminal.

answered Oct 18 '14 at 13:51

vgel

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This is why I avoided the aptana studio plugin - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/524021/preferred-ruby-plugin-for-eclipse – Erran Morad Oct 18 '14 at 17:20

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 18 '14 at 22:25

1

If you run the command gem which bundler you will see the folder gems are installed on your system. You can copy executables there but it's highly recommended you use gem install on the command line.

answered Oct 18 '14 at 22:25

BookOfGreg

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score 0 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 10:29

I have find the answer to this question. I not sure if this is the best way to do it, but it works for me. Pro developers, can you please review this answer ? So, for now let me give quick guide for this.

1 - Install Eclipse DLTK plugin for Ruby as suggested here - Preferred Ruby plugin for Eclipse? See the answer with photo, by James.

2 - Next, lets pick a random gem such as nokogiri and download it from rubygems.org. The file name of the Gem tells you which OS its meant for. I use windows 7 64bits. So, I take version with x64-mingw32. Here is a sample list of downloads:

1.6.4.1 November 7, 2014 java (2.37 MB)
1.6.4.1 November 7, 2014 x64-mingw32 (2.86 MB)
1.6.4.1 November 7, 2014 (8.81 MB)
1.6.4.1 November 7, 2014 x86-mingw32 (3.91 MB)
1.6.4 November 5, 2014 java (2.37 MB)
Show all versions (271 total)

3 - AFAIK, eclipse cannot use the gem file as is. You need to unpack it first. Lets say you kept the gem file in c:\RubyGems\extras, and you want to unpack it there itself.

open windows cmd > cd into the above directory > gem unpack nokogiri-1.6.4.1-x64-mingw32.gem > press enter !!!

Now, your gem will be unpacked into a folder nokogiri-1.6.4.1-x64-mingw32.

4 - Locate the nokogiri.rb file inside the unpacked folder. Its in the lib folder. Copy the full path of this folder - c:\RubyGems\extras\nokogiri-1.6.4.1-x64-mingw32\lib. We need this for eclipse.

5 - Eclipse > create new ruby project > right click project > build path > configure build path > libraries tab > add external source folder > enter the path from step 4 > Ok > ok. You can now use the gem in your project.

6 - Testing if the steps work. Use the code in your project !

require 'nokogiri'

puts "Chenqui ! It is work!!!"

If the message prints without error, then you are a success ! To see the error you get when the required modules can't be found, add something like this require 'restclient'.

Can a ruby gem/module be added just like a java jar file?

4 Answers4