# Non standard installed gem question

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-standard-installed-gem-question/138947>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [May 29, 2008, 9:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-standard-installed-gem-question/138947 "2008-05-29T09:05:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mdiam](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@mdiam](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mdiam)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 9:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-standard-installed-gem-question/138947/1 "2008-05-29T09:05:51Z")

</div>

Bonjour à tous,

I’m trying to install and use one particular gem in a non-standard  
location.  
I’d like to keep using both standard or non-standard installed gems.

I’v been able to install the “rgl” (Ruby Graph Library) in a personnal  
directory  
like this :

```
export MY_GEMS=/home/.../pack/ruby/gems/1.8/
gem install rgl -i $MY_GEMS -t --debug

```

But I’m unable to use it :

```
export GEM_PATH=$MY_GEMS

irb
>require "rubygems"
>gem "rgl"

```

> > gem “rgl”  
> > Gem::LoadError: Could not find RubyGem rgl (\>= 0.0.0)

from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor\_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:304:in  
`report_activate_error' from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:238:in`activate’  
from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor\_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:76:in  
`active_gem_with_options' from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:50:in`gem’  
from (irb):3

Thank you for any help  
– Maurice Diamantini

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mdiam](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@mdiam](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mdiam)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 10:41am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-standard-installed-gem-question/138947/2 "2008-05-29T10:41:47Z")

</div>

On May 29, 2008, at 00:05 AM, mdiam wrote:

> But I’m unable to use it :  
> from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor\_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:304:in  
> `report_activate_error' from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:238:in`activate’  
> from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor\_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:76:in  
> `active_gem_with_options' from /opt/local/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby/1.8/rubygems.rb:50:in`gem’  
> from (irb):3
> 
> Thank you for any help

I cannot reproduce:

$ rm -rf ~/tmp/gems/  
$ export MY\_GEMS=~/tmp/gems  
$ gem install rgl -i $MY\_GEMS -t  
[…]  
3 gems installed  
[…]  
$ export GEM\_PATH=$MY\_GEMS  
$ irb  
irb(main):001:0\> require ‘rubygems’  
=\> true  
irb(main):002:0\> gem ‘rgl’  
=\> true  
irb(main):003:0\> Gem.path  
=\> ["/Users/drbrain/tmp/gems", “/Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8”]

Check to see if irb is looking in the right spot ^^

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mdiam](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@mdiam](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mdiam)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-standard-installed-gem-question/138947/3 "2008-05-29T17:09:30Z")

</div>

On 29 mai, 10:40, Eric H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > > > gem “rgl”  
> > > > Gem::LoadError: Could not find RubyGem rgl (\>= 0.0.0)\>  
> > > > Thank you for any help
> 
> I cannot reproduce:

Hum, I also success thank’s to your commands (perhaps I’ve done some  
mistake  
with my numerous trys, with several ruby versions (macport et apple)  
and the various gems repositories I tested…)  
But now I sure this was the way to go!

rm -rf ~/tmp/gems/1.8  
export MY\_GEMS=~/tmp/gems/1.8  
gem install rgl -i $MY\_GEMS --no-rdoc --no-ri -y

# (faster without docs)

export GEM\_PATH=$MY\_GEMS

irb

require ‘rubygems’

# generaly return false !?

gem ‘rgl’

# =\> true

Gem.path

# =\> [“/Users/diam/tmp/gems/1.8”, “/opt/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8”]

Thank your very much for your fast help!  
– Maurice