# Loading a library before ActiveSupport

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/loading-a-library-before-activesupport/186142>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [April 1, 2010, 5:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/loading-a-library-before-activesupport/186142 "2010-04-01T05:59:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tcsnide)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/loading-a-library-before-activesupport/186142/1 "2010-04-01T05:59:55Z")

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Is there any means for having an external library loaded before  
ActiveSupport is loaded when starting up a Rails app?

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**Author:** ![tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tcsnide)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 10:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/loading-a-library-before-activesupport/186142/2 "2010-04-01T10:05:44Z")

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What does you mean?

You can create class in lib folder. For example: my\_class.rb -\> class  
MyClass ; end

Rails will load your library.

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**Author:** ![tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tcsnide)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/loading-a-library-before-activesupport/186142/3 "2010-04-01T14:40:12Z")

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On Apr 1, 3:55 am, oivoodoo [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> What does you mean?
> 
> You can create class in lib folder. For example: my\_class.rb → class  
> MyClass ; end
> 
> Rails will load your library.

You have to load those manually. So that doesn’t help.

We can put scripts in config/initializers, however these are loaded  
into the system AFTER ActiveSupport has been loaded. I need a way to  
load a library BEFORE ActiveSupport.

The reason is to load other libraries that may also have core  
extensions, but to let ActiveSupport’s take precedence in case of  
conflicts.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@tcsnide](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tcsnide)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/loading-a-library-before-activesupport/186142/4 "2010-04-01T14:48:59Z")

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On Apr 1, 8:38 am, trans [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> We can put scripts in config/initializers, however these are loaded  
> into the system AFTER ActiveSupport has been loaded. I need a way to  
> load a library BEFORE ActiveSupport.
> 
> The reason is to load other libraries that may also have core  
> extensions, but to let ActiveSupport’s take precedence in case of  
> conflicts.

Hey, I think I figured it out. Snooping around config/boot.rb I  
discovered a (little known?) feature. You can create a config/  
preinitializer.rb file and that will be loaded first off. Nice.