# How to specify working directory in config/database.yml? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [September 1, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-working-directory-in-config-database-yml/174731 "2009-09-01T11:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Josef_W)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-working-directory-in-config-database-yml/174731/1 "2009-09-01T11:56:15Z")
Hello folks, I’d like to use postgresql with unix domain sockets for testinng/development to avoid mismatches when tests from multiple working copies are run concurrently. I can almost get what I want with the following entry in config/database.yml: test: adapter: postgresql encoding: unicode database: testapp\_test username: password: host: /home/ruby/rails/testapp/db/pgdata Unfortunately, the path is specified absolutely here. So when I check out two working copies of my application and run the tests in parallel on both copies, the database will get mangled. So I am looking for a possibility to specify the directory relatively. Maybe ``` host: `pwd`/db/pgdata ``` or ``` host: #{RAILS_DIR}/db/pgdata ``` or something. Can this (or something similar) be done? Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Josef_W)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-working-directory-in-config-database-yml/174731/2 "2009-09-03T00:02:05Z")
Josef W. wrote: > Hello folks, > > I’d like to use postgresql with unix domain sockets for > testinng/development > to avoid mismatches when tests from multiple working copies are run > concurrently. > > I can almost get what I want with the following entry in > config/database.yml: > > test: > adapter: postgresql > encoding: unicode > database: testapp\_test > username: > password: > host: /home/ruby/rails/testapp/db/pgdata > > Unfortunately, the path is specified absolutely here. So when I check > out > two working copies of my application and run the tests in parallel on > both > copies, the database will get mangled. > > So I am looking for a possibility to specify the directory relatively. > Maybe > > ``` > host: `pwd`/db/pgdata > > ``` > > or > > ``` > host: #{RAILS_DIR}/db/pgdata > > ``` > > or something. > > Can this (or something similar) be done? Any suggestions? Since config/database.yml is read through ERB, you can do stuff like host: \<%= RAILS\_DIR %\>/db/pgdata or host: \<%= `hostname` %\> Check vendor/rails/railties/lib/initializer.rb, this is from Rails 2.3: ``` # Loads and returns the contents of the ``` #database\_configuration\_file. The # contents of the file are processed via ERB before being sent through # YAML::load. def database\_configuration require ‘erb’ YAML::load(ERB.new(IO.read(database\_configuration\_file)).result) end ---
**Author:** ![Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Josef_W)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-working-directory-in-config-database-yml/174731/3 "2009-09-03T21:24:27Z")
Josef W. wrote: > On Thu, Sep 03, 2009 at 12:02:05AM +0200, Stephan W. wrote: > > > Josef W. wrote: > > Thanks for your help, Stephan! > > > > So I am looking for a possibility to specify the directory relatively. > > > host: `pwd`/db/pgdata > > > or > > > host: #{RAILS\_DIR}/db/pgdata > > > or something. > > > > Since config/database.yml is read through ERB, you can do stuff like > > > > host: \<%= RAILS\_DIR %\>/db/pgdata > > Yeah, this works fine when I use RAILS\_ROOT instead of RAILS\_DIR. > > > host: \<%= `hostname` %\> Try > > host: \<%= `hostname`.chomp %\> > Backticks don’t seem to work here. I get a syntax error when I try it: > > \*\* Invoke db:create (first\_time) > \*\* Invoke environment (first\_time) > \*\* Execute environment > rake aborted! > syntax error on line 22, col 9: `# port: 5432' /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/yaml.rb:133:in`load’ > /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/yaml.rb:133:in `load' /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-2.1.1/lib/initializer.rb:716:in **`database\_configuration’ I couldn’t reproduce this, but chomp should help Stephan > Where line 22 is the first line after the backtick that does _not_ start > with a comment. ---
**Author:** ![Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Josef\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Josef_W)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-specify-working-directory-in-config-database-yml/174731/4 "2009-09-03T21:02:58Z")
On Thu, Sep 03, 2009 at 12:02:05AM +0200, Stephan W. wrote: > Josef W. wrote: > Thanks for your help, Stephan! > > So I am looking for a possibility to specify the directory relatively. > > host: `pwd`/db/pgdata > > or > > host: #{RAILS\_DIR}/db/pgdata > > or something. > > Since config/database.yml is read through ERB, you can do stuff like > > host: \<%= RAILS\_DIR %\>/db/pgdata Yeah, this works fine when I use RAILS\_ROOT instead of RAILS\_DIR. > host: \<%= `hostname` %\> Backticks don’t seem to work here. I get a syntax error when I try it: \*\* Invoke db:create (first\_time) \*\* Invoke environment (first\_time) \*\* Execute environment rake aborted! syntax error on line 22, col 9: `# port: 5432' /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/yaml.rb:133:in`load’ /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/yaml.rb:133:in `load' /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-2.1.1/lib/initializer.rb:716:in **`database\_configuration’ Where line 22 is the first line after the backtick that does _not_ start with a comment.