# How do I ask Rails? environment.rb and initializers

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-ask-rails-environment-rb-and-initializers/132470>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [March 20, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-ask-rails-environment-rb-and-initializers/132470 "2008-03-20T14:50:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Feurio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@Feurio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Feurio)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-ask-rails-environment-rb-and-initializers/132470/1 "2008-03-20T14:50:35Z")

</div>

Can I ask rails somehow in environment.rb or in an initializer if it  
runs via a

- script/server
- script/console
- rake db:migrate
- etc.

Maybe something like

if RAILS\_MODE == ‘Migration’

# don’t do a Category.find(1) because the category table might not be

there  
puts ‘I am in migration mode’  
end

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Feurio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@Feurio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Feurio)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-ask-rails-environment-rb-and-initializers/132470/2 "2008-03-20T23:17:21Z")

</div>

yeah, but it’s RAILS\_ENV

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Feurio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@Feurio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Feurio)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-ask-rails-environment-rb-and-initializers/132470/3 "2008-03-25T10:08:03Z")

</div>

I don’t understand your answer.

RAILS\_ENV is an environment variable I can set with either  
development, test or production and Rails then behaves differently.  
Even for migrations you can provide the target like

RAILS\_ENV=production rake db:migrate

Maybe you could clarify what you meant?

Feurio

On 20 Mrz., 23:16, “removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid” \<ESPN3.DL-