# Interpreter doesnt work?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/interpreter-doesnt-work/135401>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [April 21, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/interpreter-doesnt-work/135401 "2008-04-21T21:52:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![globalrev](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@globalrev](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/globalrev)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/interpreter-doesnt-work/135401/1 "2008-04-21T21:52:00Z")

</div>

so i downloaded and installed ruby and there is no APPlicatin/Exe int  
he main directory but in bin there is the interpreter but ti doesnt  
work, it aluches a DOS-window but there is no evaluator.

do i have to install an IDE to or how do i get an editor and the  
interactive prompt?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![globalrev](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@globalrev](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/globalrev)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/interpreter-doesnt-work/135401/2 "2008-04-21T22:00:47Z")

</div>

globalrev wrote:

> do i have to install an IDE to or how do i get an editor and the  
> interactive prompt?

Welcome to ruby!

To use the interactive prompt, also known as irb, open a console window  
and type “irb” then hit enter.

You can also use any editor you like. I believe the one click installers  
comes with a nice simple editor called SciTE which will give you syntax  
highlighting. Once you’ve written your program, navigate to it using a  
console window and then type “ruby my\_program.rb” to execute your code.

Hope this helps.

- Drew

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![globalrev](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@globalrev](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/globalrev)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/interpreter-doesnt-work/135401/3 "2008-04-22T01:00:41Z")

</div>

globalrev [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes:

> so i downloaded and installed ruby and there is no APPlicatin/Exe int  
> he main directory but in bin there is the interpreter but ti doesnt  
> work, it aluches a DOS-window but there is no evaluator.

You probably don’t want to invoke the interpreter directly, but  
instead send ruby source files through the interpreter to be executed.

First write some ruby code in your editor of choice, and then run that  
code through the interpreter.

You can access an interactive session with the interpreter by opening  
a DOS window and running the following command:

irb