# Directory structure of a Ruby installation, including the pa **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [March 23, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-structure-of-a-ruby-installation-including-the-pa/55791 "2006-03-23T21:32:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![randy\_k](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@randy\_k](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/randy_k)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-structure-of-a-ruby-installation-including-the-pa/55791/1 "2006-03-23T21:32:00Z")
Restart: For a variety of reasons, I’m trying to get a better understanding of how a Ruby installation is laid out on disk. Maybe the best way to explain what I mean is by giving some of the specific questions I have. (Maybe these are not so much Ruby specific, but maybe generic to a typical language install.) BTW, this is for a Linux installation. Statements and questions intermixed: - I installed Ruby 1.8.4 by compiling from the source tarball, and started by untar-ing it in, essentially, my home directory. - The ruby executable is installed in /usr/local/bin/ruby, and a bunch of .rb files are installed in /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/. I didn’t have any choice in the matter, so I assume that’s a good location. - Many, maybe all, of those same .rb files are in what I’ll call my install directory (tree) (in my home directory). Now that ruby is installed can I delete all that stuff in my home directory (that came from untar-ing the tarball)? - If I go to install another “library” (is that the right word for those .rb files), specifically for the tkHTML widget, I presume I should install that in the /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/ directory (or a subdirectory)? - When I do a require, like require ‘tk’, the tk.rb file is looked for in /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/? - If tk.rb were in some subdirectory of /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/ (say sub, for example), then the require statement to have it loaded would be require ‘sub/tk’? - As long as all of my library .rbs are in the /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/ tree, I don’t have to set the RUBYLIB environment variable? Well, actually, going through the questions like that, I suspect I understand more than I thought (assuming all or most of the answers above are yes (or somehow positive)). If I’m grossly wrong, maybe it would help me to have a link to an explanation of how all the above should work/fit together. Thanks, Randy K. ---
**Author:** ![randy\_k](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@randy\_k](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/randy_k)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-structure-of-a-ruby-installation-including-the-pa/55791/2 "2006-03-23T22:03:50Z")
On Fri, 2006-03-24 at 05:31 +0900, Randy K. wrote: > Restart: > > For a variety of reasons, I’m trying to get a better understanding of how a > Ruby installation is laid out on disk. Maybe the best way to explain what I > mean is by giving some of the specific questions I have. (Maybe these are > not so much Ruby specific, but maybe generic to a typical language install.) I think Ruby generally follows the standard Linux/FHS layout, together with layout used by other languages (I know Perl has site\_perl, for example). > I don’t think it really matters, but if I’m installing something system-wide I tend to keep the source in /usr/local/src , while if I’m installing for just me I keep it in ~/src. > - The ruby executable is installed in /usr/local/bin/ruby, and a bunch > of .rb files are installed in /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/. I didn’t have any > choice in the matter, so I assume that’s a good location. It’s the default (and standard) location. For a systemwide install I’d call it ‘the right location’, but bear in mind that you can change it during the configure step (try passing --help to the ruby configure script). I (and I guess many others) have a site-wide Ruby 1.8 install, and a 1.9 snapshot installed in my home directory, also with a different program suffix (ruby9, irb9, ri9, etc) which is handled with options to the configure script. > - Many, maybe all, of those same .rb files are in what I’ll call my install > directory (tree) (in my home directory). Now that ruby is installed can I > delete all that stuff in my home directory (that came from untar-ing the > tarball)? I guess so, but I wouldn’t. I guess if you’re absolutely sure you won’t want to do a quick rebuild, or look something up in the source, then you could delete them if you wished. > - If I go to install another “library” (is that the right word for > those .rb files), specifically for the tkHTML widget, I presume I should > install that in the /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/ directory (or a subdirectory)? That’s not recommended practice - that directory holds ruby and the standard library, additional stuff is usually placed in /usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8 I think. Most libraries come with a setup.rb that’ll install there automatically. > - When I do a require, like require ‘tk’, the tk.rb file is looked for > in /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/? $ ruby -e ‘p $LOAD\_PATH’ ["/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8", “/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/i686-linux”, “/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby”, “/usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8”, “/usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/i686-linux”, “.”] > - If tk.rb were in some subdirectory of /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/ (say sub, > for example), then the require statement to have it loaded would be require > ‘sub/tk’? Yes. I think ‘require’ paths are tried relative to the paths in $LOAD\_PATH, in order. > - As long as all of my library .rbs are in the /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/ > tree, I don’t have to set the RUBYLIB environment variable? Not as far as I’m aware, I don’t think I ever have. Hope that helps, ---
**Author:** ![randy\_k](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@randy\_k](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/randy_k)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/directory-structure-of-a-ruby-installation-including-the-pa/55791/3 "2006-03-24T16:05:11Z")
On Thursday 23 March 2006 04:03 pm, Ross B. wrote: > On Fri, 2006-03-24 at 05:31 +0900, Randy K. wrote: > > > For a variety of reasons, I’m trying to get a better understanding of how > > a Ruby installation is laid out on disk. Maybe the best way to explain > > what I mean is by giving some of the specific questions I have. (Maybe > > these are not so much Ruby specific, but maybe generic to a typical > > language install.) —— > Hope that helps, Yes, very much, thanks! (It may take me a little while to “internalize” everything, but most of it is pretty clear and close to what I expected.) After sending the original email, I began to wonder about the location of the ri/rdoc documentation (that is, for example, the stuff generated by the =make install-doc= step), i.e., being concerned that it might be in the “install directory”, and thus, a reason not to delete that directory (not that I’m all that worried or intent on deleting that directory, it’s just part of understanding where things have to be. Anyway, I found that in /usr/local/share/ri/1.8, so again, no worries about deleting the tarball/install directory. I do have more questions, they’re focused on getting the TkHTML widget to work–but I’ll try to get my head screwed on straight and then ask those in a new thread. Thanks again! Randy K.