# Gem installer and scripts **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [September 21, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installer-and-scripts/69579 "2006-09-21T23:34:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tedx)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installer-and-scripts/69579/1 "2006-09-21T23:34:28Z")
Is there a way to get gem to run a script during an install similar to rpms pre/post-install? How do others deal with needing to copy files or create links etc. during a gem install? Ted ---
**Author:** ![tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tedx)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installer-and-scripts/69579/2 "2006-09-21T23:55:33Z")
On 9/21/06, Ted T. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Is there a way to get gem to run a script during an install similar to > rpms pre/post-install? How do others deal with needing to copy files or > create links etc. during a gem install? Include a script with one of the following names in the base directory of your gem: install.rb post-install.rb uninstall.rb They get run pretty much when the names suggest. See gems like activerecord, rake, and rmagick for examples. ---
**Author:** ![tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tedx)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installer-and-scripts/69579/3 "2006-09-22T15:32:14Z")
Wilson B. wrote: > On 9/21/06, Ted T. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > Is there a way to get gem to run a script during an install similar to > > rpms pre/post-install? How do others deal with needing to copy files or > > create links etc. during a gem install? > > Include a script with one of the following names in the base directory > of your gem: > install.rb > post-install.rb > uninstall.rb > > They get run pretty much when the names suggest. See gems like > activerecord, rake, and rmagick for examples. Thanks. I created a post-install.rb and tested it but it doesn’t get run during the install as best I can tell. I’ve looked at the gem code and I don’t see code that would run my post-install.rb script maybe I just missed it but … Would you know where this happens? I did look at gems already on my system but they only contain install.rb files. ---
**Author:** ![tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@tedx](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tedx)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installer-and-scripts/69579/4 "2006-09-22T23:54:36Z")
Ted T. wrote: > > of your gem: > > don’t see code that would run my post-install.rb script maybe I just > > missed it but … Would you know where this happens? I did look at gems > > already on my system but they only contain install.rb files. I can only speak for RMagick, but fwiw, install.rb was Minero A.'s generic Ruby library/application installer script, which predates RubyGems. I’ve since replaced it in the RMagick install with Minero’s setup.rb ([setup.rb](http://i.loveruby.net/en/projects/setup/)). (This is the same setup.rb that you run to install RubyGems the first time.) The install.rb/setup.rb scheme defines three steps during installation: config, setup, and install. Each specific application/library can define “hooks” that run before or after each step. A “hook” is a Ruby program. The hook scripts are identified by their name, which is “pre-” or “post-” followed by the step name. Thus “post-install.rb” is a hook that runs after the install step. Therefore setup.rb runs the RMagick post-install.rb hook after it completes the standard installation tasks. In the RMagick case, post-install.rb copies the RMagick documentation files to the doc directory. The install.rb/setup.rb process doesn’t define an uninstall step, so for RMagick, I provided a uninstall.rb script that can be executed for the “make uninstall” target, or simply by running “ruby uninstall.rb” from the command line. Probably RMagick isn’t a good model for an installation process. RMagick was out there before there was a RubyGems, so I created an installation process based on the at-the-time-standard install.rb/setup.rb code. Later, at the request of an important but traditionally-minded supporter I hacked a GNU configure/make/make install over that, and when RubyGems came out I hacked it to work with RubyGems. I’m sure Rake and activerecord are much better models. The last time I checked RubyGems, for security purposes, did not support the execution of arbitrary user-supplied scripts. Remember RubyGems may be running with root/admin priviledges, so it wouldn’t be wise to allow just any ol’ Ruby library developer to add code to the installation process. To the best of my knowledge, if you can’t specify it in a gemfile you can’t make RubyGems do it. If I’m wrong I’m sure somebody will correct me.