# Appropriate directory for "third-party" utilities?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/appropriate-directory-for-third-party-utilities/89842>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 23, 2007, 4:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/appropriate-directory-for-third-party-utilities/89842 "2007-03-23T04:21:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![richard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@richard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/richard)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 4:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/appropriate-directory-for-third-party-utilities/89842/1 "2007-03-23T04:21:46Z")

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Hi All,

I just wrote searchdir.rb that works the way I like to search  
directories. I read recently there’s an appropriate place in the  
installed Ruby system to put third party routines, presumably  
including stuff we write for our own systems. I can’t remember the  
name of the preferred directory. Any ideas?

I’m running WinXP-Pro/SP2, Ruby 1.8.2-15, Rails 1.1.6, Gem 0.9.

I’ve got the “.rb” extension mapped to Ruby.exe, whose directory is on  
the PATH.

Heretofore, I’ve put Ruby utilities in a separate “Utilities”  
directory which is on the PATH, and that worked fine. But now I want  
to do it “The Ruby Way”.

TIA,  
Richard

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**Author:** ![richard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@richard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/richard)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/appropriate-directory-for-third-party-utilities/89842/2 "2007-03-23T13:52:40Z")

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On 3/22/07, Richard [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> I just wrote searchdir.rb that works the way I like to search  
> directories. I read recently there’s an appropriate place in the  
> installed Ruby system to put third party routines, presumably  
> including stuff we write for our own systems. I can’t remember the  
> name of the preferred directory. Any ideas?

I think you may be speaking of the lib/ruby/site\_ruby directory.

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**Author:** ![richard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@richard](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/richard)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2007, 9:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/appropriate-directory-for-third-party-utilities/89842/3 "2007-03-25T09:20:34Z")

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Thanks, Lyle.