# How to invoke a rake file

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 25, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832 "2008-03-25T05:31:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Thufir)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832/1 "2008-03-25T05:31:58Z")

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How is this rakefile invoked?

C:\code\>  
C:\code\>rake  
(in C:/code)  
rake aborted!  
Don’t know how to build task ‘default’

(See full trace by running task with --trace)

C:\code\>  
C:\code\>type rakefile.rb  
alias :original\_directory :directory  
def directory(dir)  
original\_directory dir  
Rake::Task[dir]  
end

namespace :utils do  
task :create\_directories =\> [  
directory(‘public/icons’),  
directory(‘public/images’),  
directory(‘public/groups’),  
]  
end  
C:\code\>

from:  
[http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/6/11/ruby-on-rails-rake-tutorial](http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/6/11/ruby-on-rails-rake-tutorial)

thanks,

Thufir

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Thufir)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 6:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832/2 "2008-03-25T06:31:14Z")

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On Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 1:30 PM, Thufir [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> C:\code\>  
> directory(‘public/icons’),  
> directory(‘public/images’),  
> directory(‘public/groups’),  
> ]  
> end  
> C:\code\>
> 
> from:  
> [http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/6/11/ruby-on-rails-rake-tutorial](http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/6/11/ruby-on-rails-rake-tutorial)

[snip]  
If I wanted to use Rake to call each of these tasks, I might create a  
file called “Rakefile”  
[/snip]  
from:  
[http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/6/11/ruby-on-rails-rake-tutorial](http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/6/11/ruby-on-rails-rake-tutorial)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Thufir)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832/3 "2008-03-25T10:55:04Z")

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try:  
rake utils:create\_directories

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Thufir)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832/4 "2008-03-26T04:46:04Z")

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On Mar 24, 9:30 pm, Michael F. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:  
[…]

> > C:\code\>type rakefile.rb  
> > […]  
> > If I wanted to use Rake to call each of these tasks, I might create a  
> > file called “Rakefile”  
> > […]

It is ☹

-Thufir

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Thufir)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832/5 "2008-03-26T04:56:01Z")

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On Mar 25, 1:54 am, Mark R. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> [Note: parts of this message were removed to make it a legal post.]
> 
> try:  
> rake utils:create\_directories  
> […]

Thanks, this worked on Windows 🙂

Why isn’t it:

rake utils:create\_directory

I thought it was just rails that did magic with plurals.

thanks,

Thufir

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Thufir)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832/6 "2008-03-26T04:57:47Z")

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On Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 12:44 PM, Thufir [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> It is ☹  
> “rakefile.rb” == “Rakefile”

# false

it is?  
And yeah, you gotta invoke a task like Mark says.

^ manveru

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Thufir](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Thufir)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 11:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-invoke-a-rake-file/132832/7 "2008-03-27T11:09:12Z")

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On Mar 25, 8:56 pm, Michael F. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:  
[…]

> “rakefile.rb” == “Rakefile”
> 
> # false

[…]

On my system at least rakefile.rb == Rakefile for these purposes.  
Isn’t that the case, or what did you mean? However, I wonder what  
happens when there’s rakefile.rb, Rakefile.rb and Rakefile as well as  
rakefile and “rake” is run…

thufir@arrakis:~$  
thufir@arrakis:~$ rake  
rake aborted!  
No Rakefile found (looking for: rakefile, Rakefile, rakefile.rb,  
Rakefile.rb)  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rake.rb:1840:in `load\_rakefile’  
(See full trace by running task with --trace)  
thufir@arrakis:~$

-Thufir