# Getting the comments(RDoc/ri) while running **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [November 13, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219 "2008-11-13T16:41:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Vassilis_R)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219/1 "2008-11-13T16:41:44Z")
The problem: There is this parser, dynamically extensible with methods from modules. In very mundane fashion the methods have a standard prefix (like Test::Unit does it) so there is no problem getting the list of the methods. Now the methods handle elements in a DSL and there are conditions and parameters that each element expects. All this information is currently available as an RDoc comment for each method. Aside from making a system call to ri and grabbing the output is there any other clever way to grab those comment lines? Now, I want the comments in the RDoc so I don’t want to do something like the ‘desc “describe this task”’ trick that rake does. Any clever ideas? Cheers, V.- ---
**Author:** ![Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Vassilis_R)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219/2 "2008-11-13T17:10:29Z")
It’s a little open-ended … I use Netbeans as my IDE when I write code, its code-completion feature is amazing for Ruby as well as Rails. Would that satisfy you? It shows a list of commands and the rdoc for it underneath. –Aldric ---
**Author:** ![Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Vassilis_R)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219/3 "2008-11-13T18:43:16Z")
On Fri, 14 Nov 2008, Vassilis R. wrote: > OK, just to clarify a bit: > I use these methods in my app and they add functionality that needs specific > parameters and configuration. It’s an exte. The parameters are described in > the comments for the methods. > Now, I want to be able (from within my app) to display the documentation for > those methods. I can do it by calling `ri method_name` and grabbind the output > but I was wondering if there is a cleverer way (and one that does not require > ri to be in the path) > Cheers, > V.- ri gets docs built with rdoc. When you build those docs with rdoc, do you get better results with -p? RDoc V1.0.1 - 20041108 Usage: rdoc [options] [names…] […] Options: […] –promiscuous, -p When documenting a file that contains a module or class also defined in other files, show all stuff for that module/class in each files page. By default, only show stuff defined in that particular file. ``` Hugh ``` ---
**Author:** ![Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Vassilis_R)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219/4 "2008-11-13T18:37:57Z")
Aldric G. wrote: > It’s a little open-ended … I use Netbeans as my IDE when I write code, > its code-completion feature is amazing for Ruby as well as Rails. Would > that satisfy you? It shows a list of commands and the rdoc for it > underneath. OK, just to clarify a bit: I use these methods in my app and they add functionality that needs specific parameters and configuration. It’s an exte. The parameters are described in the comments for the methods. Now, I want to be able (from within my app) to display the documentation for those methods. I can do it by calling `ri method_name` and grabbind the output but I was wondering if there is a cleverer way (and one that does not require ri to be in the path) Cheers, V.- ---
**Author:** ![Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Vassilis_R)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219/5 "2008-11-13T22:23:23Z")
On Nov 13, 2008, at 09:34 , Vassilis R. wrote: > I can do it by calling `ri method_name` and grabbind the output but > I was wondering if there is a cleverer way (and one that does not > require ri to be in the path) you can certainly access the data directly. look at rdoc/ri/ driver.rb… thar be dragons. ---
**Author:** ![Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Vassilis_R)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219/6 "2008-11-13T23:12:06Z")
On Nov 13, 2008, at 3:19 PM, Ryan D. wrote: > > I can do it by calling `ri method_name` and grabbind the output but > > I was wondering if there is a cleverer way (and one that does not > > require ri to be in the path) > > you can certainly access the data directly. look at rdoc/ri/ > driver.rb… thar be dragons. If all you want is the comment, you could also just use caller() to find the line number and source file containing the method, open that file, and scan backwards from the method definition… ---
**Author:** ![Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vassilis\_R](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Vassilis_R)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/getting-the-comments-rdoc-ri-while-running/153219/7 "2008-11-14T17:48:26Z")
For that exact thing, check out Lazydoc ([http://tap.rubyforge.org/](http://tap.rubyforge.org/) lazydoc/). Lazydoc allows you to register lines at which to pull out documentation, as well as lazy class attributes whose values are pulled from the documentation as needed. require ‘rubygems’ require ‘lazydoc’ class Sample # comment for method one def method\_one end end doc = Lazydoc[**FILE**] # register by line counting from 0 # or using a regexp #comment = doc.register(5) comment = doc.register(/method\_one/) doc.resolve puts comment.subject # =\> " def method\_one" puts comment.content # =\> “comment for method one” (Note the lazy attributes aren’t shown, but examples are in the documentation)