# Maddening library loading problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 14, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/maddening-library-loading-problem/54818 "2006-03-14T17:07:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/maddening-library-loading-problem/54818/1 "2006-03-14T17:07:04Z")
Hi everyone. I recently wrote a nice module that I want to use in my rails app. It consists of a few files in a directory that I have places in the lib directory. It looks like this: /lib/KMLTools/foo.rb, bar.rb, baz.rb Some of these files load each other and I finally got those to work by using the File.dirname( **FILE** ) trick. When I simply require the file into my controller, everything is fine, but as soon as i try to create a new instance of the class i wrote using this code: d = KMLTools::Document.new() I get the following error: NameError in File#save uninitialized constant KMLTools This error occured while loading the following files: kml\_tools.rb Now, there is no file kml\_tools.rb, and i am not sure where rails is getting this file name. I know i should probably make a gem out of the library i wrote, but I am not sure if dreamhost lets you install gems. Does anyone have any suggestions or fixes I could use? I’ve been trying to figure this out since yesterday and I am really stymied, any help would be greatly appreciated Thanks, Chris ---
**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/maddening-library-loading-problem/54818/2 "2006-03-14T17:10:37Z")
> Now, there is no file kml\_tools.rb, and i am not sure where rails is > getting this file name. I’m guessing(!) there’s an implict aasumption somehere that each module will have a single rb file that loads all the others. Therefore KMLTools will have a kml\_tools.rb which requires all the other bits and pieces. As for why rails is trying to load that, I’m not sure… Alan ---
**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/maddening-library-loading-problem/54818/3 "2006-03-14T21:06:36Z")
On Mar 14, 2006, at 8:10 AM, Alan F. wrote: > As for why rails is trying to load that, I’m not sure… > > Alan ``` The way rails autoloads classes these days is with const_missing. ``` Which is sort of like method\_missing but for constants. So they first time rails sees KMLTools it looks for a file called kml\_tools.rb in all of the defined load paths. Cheers- -Ezra Z. Yakima Herald-Republic WebMaster > **[yakimaherald.com | Yakima, Washington - We Tell Your Stories](https://www.yakimaherald.com/)** 509-577-7732 removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/maddening-library-loading-problem/54818/4 "2006-03-23T00:26:13Z")
Chris, Did you ever find a solution for this? I am having the exact same problem but with a RubyGem!!! (see: [RubyGem loading into a controller (High quality question) - Rails - Ruby-Forum](http://www.ruby-forum.com/topic/59088)) I will be sure to pass on any info. that I get about my problem. Thanks, Wes G. Ezra Z. wrote: > On Mar 14, 2006, at 8:10 AM, Alan F. wrote: > > > As for why rails is trying to load that, I’m not sure… > > > > Alan > > The way rails autoloads classes these days is with const\_missing. > Which is sort of like method\_missing but for constants. So they first > time rails sees KMLTools it looks for a file called kml\_tools.rb in > all of the defined load paths. > > Cheers- > -Ezra Z. > Yakima Herald-Republic > WebMaster > [http://yakimaherald.com](http://yakimaherald.com) > 509-577-7732 > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/maddening-library-loading-problem/54818/5 "2006-04-17T19:46:42Z")
Wes: Sorry about the delay in response, i did ultimatley get this to work, i just created a kml\_tools.rb file where the framework was looking for this, and it loaded up just fine. I never did figure out WHY this happened. Lately i hav ebeen having some file capitalization issues going on in my unit tests, but i think that just might be a mac os x thing. ---
**Author:** ![chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrismalek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chrismalek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/maddening-library-loading-problem/54818/6 "2006-03-23T00:40:47Z")
Chris, There appears to be a time component to my problem. If I leave my WEBrick server up for a few minutes, all of a sudden it can find the GEM and everything works. Perhaps there is some kind of caching going on with autoloading of classes??? I don’t know. It’s very strange. Wes Wes G. wrote: > Chris, > > Did you ever find a solution for this? > > I am having the exact same problem but with a RubyGem!!! (see: > [RubyGem loading into a controller (High quality question) - Rails - Ruby-Forum](http://www.ruby-forum.com/topic/59088)) > > I will be sure to pass on any info. that I get about my problem. > > Thanks, > Wes G. > > Ezra Z. wrote: > > > On Mar 14, 2006, at 8:10 AM, Alan F. wrote: > > > > > As for why rails is trying to load that, I’m not sure… > > > > > > Alan > > > > The way rails autoloads classes these days is with const\_missing. > > Which is sort of like method\_missing but for constants. So they first > > time rails sees KMLTools it looks for a file called kml\_tools.rb in > > all of the defined load paths. > > > > Cheers- > > -Ezra Z. > > Yakima Herald-Republic > > WebMaster > > [http://yakimaherald.com](http://yakimaherald.com) > > 509-577-7732 > > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid