# IHelp 0.3.2 - View the documentation for an object

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ihelp-0-3-2-view-the-documentation-for-an-object/75846>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [November 13, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ihelp-0-3-2-view-the-documentation-for-an-object/75846 "2006-11-13T22:00:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ilmari\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/a587f6/32.png) [@Ilmari\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ilmari_H)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ihelp-0-3-2-view-the-documentation-for-an-object/75846/1 "2006-11-13T22:00:35Z")

</div>

IHelp lets you view the ri documentation of an object from Ruby.  
Perfect for irb.

sudo gem install ihelp

Downloads: [http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group\_id=2597](http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=2597)  
Documentation: [http://ihelp.rubyforge.org](http://ihelp.rubyforge.org)  
Project page: [http://rubyforge.org/projects/ihelp/](http://rubyforge.org/projects/ihelp/)

CHANGES

Now with Ruby 1.8.5 compatability fixes and an emacs renderer from  
rubikitch.

QUICK USAGE

“Hmm, how did String#center work again?”

> String.help:center

“What is this object and what can i do with it?”

> object.help

“Someone told me that I should look up Mutex#synchronize…  
but I don’t have that loaded.”

> help “Mutex#synchronize”

LOADING AUTOMATICALLY IN IRB

Add the following to your .irbrc:

# Loading RI may take a second or two so let’s make it

# snappier by loading in the background.

Thread.new do require ‘ihelp’ end

## Renderer to use, one of ‘ri’, ‘rubydoc’, ‘emacs’, ‘source’, ‘html’

## default is ‘ri’

# IHelp.renderer = ‘rubydoc’

## Web browser to use with renderers ‘rubydoc’ and ‘html’

## default is ‘firefox’

# IHelp.web\_browser = ‘konqueror’