# Irb parser error?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/irb-parser-error/97341>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 25, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/irb-parser-error/97341 "2006-01-25T19:58:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**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 25, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/irb-parser-error/97341/1 "2006-01-25T19:58:52Z")

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I’m using Ruby 1.8.4.

This is no problem.

$ ruby ~/‘Ruby Stuff’/fibtimes.rb

When I do this, there is a problem.

irb(main):001:0\> require “~/‘Ruby Stuff’/fibitmes.rb”  
LoadError: no such file to load – ~/‘Ruby Stuff’/fibtimes.rb  
from (irb):1:in `require’  
from (irb):1

I get this even when I use the expanded home path instead of ~.  
I also get this error using ‘load’ instead of ‘require’.

I this a bug in the irb parser?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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 25, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/irb-parser-error/97341/2 "2006-01-25T20:04:56Z")

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Typo correction:  
irb(main):001:0\> require “~/‘Ruby Stuff’/fibtimes.rb”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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 25, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/irb-parser-error/97341/3 "2006-01-25T20:06:52Z")

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unknown wrote:

> I’m using Ruby 1.8.4.
> 
> This is no problem.
> 
> $ ruby ~/‘Ruby Stuff’/fibtimes.rb
> 
> When I do this, there is a problem.
> 
> irb(main):001:0\> require “~/‘Ruby Stuff’/fibitmes.rb”  
> LoadError: no such file to load – ~/‘Ruby Stuff’/fibtimes.rb  
> from (irb):1:in `require’  
> from (irb):1
> 
> I get this even when I use the expanded home path instead of ~.  
> I also get this error using ‘load’ instead of ‘require’.
> 
> I this a bug in the irb parser?

The single quotes are necessary to prevent the shell from interpreting  
the space in your filename as a break between words. Inside irb however  
they’re seen as literal quote characters (i.e. it’s looking for a  
directory literally named /home/foo/‘Ruby Stuff’/

What you need to give ruby would be:

“/home/foo/Ruby Stuff/fibtimes.rb”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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 26, 2006, 6:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/irb-parser-error/97341/4 "2006-01-26T06:20:22Z")

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Perfecto!! That solved it.

Thanks.