# Inotify

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/inotify/81908>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 16, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/inotify/81908 "2007-01-16T04:51:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/inotify/81908/1 "2007-01-16T04:51:04Z")

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I am using ruby-inotify in a small script that I am writing, using  
ruby-inotify  
It needs to watch directories recursively for added files, and I cannot  
figure out how to make it watch more than 1 directory

Setting up a lot of watches is not good, because this has to watch  
thousands of directories (it’s a backup system)

I was going to write something to deal with /dev/inotify, but my system  
does to seem to have it

-palmer

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/inotify/81908/2 "2007-01-16T20:09:20Z")

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Hi palmer

On 1/15/07, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> I was going to write something to deal with /dev/inotify, but my system  
> does to seem to have it

I was going to do a project using inotify a while back too (ended up  
not doing it for various reasons). Anyway, IIRC there is no longer a  
inotify device file, everything is supposed to be done using the  
inotify system calls (see man 7 inotify). I don’t know if the ruby  
inotify binding has been updated for the newer versions of inotify  
though.

Cameron M.

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/inotify/81908/3 "2007-01-16T20:13:20Z")

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On Wed, 2007-01-17 at 04:08 +0900, Cameron M. wrote:

> inotify binding has been updated for the newer versions of inotify  
> though.

It has, and it’s not too hard. I wrote my own binding, too, in not much  
time.

Aria