# Pdf writer not finding public directory **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [September 5, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-not-finding-public-directory/67653 "2006-09-05T23:00:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jazzlover2002)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-not-finding-public-directory/67653/1 "2006-09-05T23:00:34Z")
Hi all, I’m attempting to learn about PDF::Writer. I’ve written a brief test program to play with the concepts. Here is the code: ``` pdf = PDF::Writer.new pdf.select_font "Times-Roman" pdf.text "Hello, Ruby.", :font_size => 72, :justification => ``` :center ``` pdf.save_as("#{@request.relative_url_root}/pdf/hello.pdf") ``` I keep getting the following error: (Note: schedprog is an alias to my rails application directory (which is /pds) Errno::ENOENT (No such file or directory - /schedprog/pdf/hello.pdf): I’ve tried a number of options, but no matter what I do I get the above error message. I’ve checked the application’s public directory and know the pdf directory exists and I even set permissions to 777 just to make sure my program could do anything. What am I missing? Any help would be appreciated. Dave removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jazzlover2002)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-not-finding-public-directory/67653/2 "2006-09-05T23:28:39Z")
You have two different urls you have to keep in mind. Your site url, which is handled by your request, and you url on your server, or more accurately your path. When you ask you’re request what the url is, it’s looking at what path the browser would be looking at. You need to be worried about the server side. It should be just as easy as setting your path to ./public/pdf/hello.pdf, assuming that you’re trying to get into your local project’s public file. On 9/5/06, jazzlover2002 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > ``` > pdf.text "Hello, Ruby.", :font_size => 72, :justification => > > ``` > > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > > > – Mike W. Web D. UW-Eau Claire ---
**Author:** ![jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jazzlover2002)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-not-finding-public-directory/67653/3 "2006-09-08T16:20:19Z")
On 5 Sep 2006, at 21:52, jazzlover2002 wrote: > :center > I’ve tried a number of options, but no matter what I do I get the > above > > error message. I’ve checked the application’s public directory and > know I don’t see what the public directory has to do with it - if / schedprog/pdf/hello.pdf is what the error message says, that’s what it’s looking for - the error message doesn’t mention ‘public’, so it isn’t looking there. / - root directory /pdfs - your rails application root directory (seems a bit odd to have this under /, but never mind) /app - your model classes etc /pdf - this is where PDF:;Writer is trying to put the PDF /public - the rail public dir /pdf this is where you want the PDFs to go Ben > the pdf directory exists and I even set permissions to 777 just to > make sure my program could do anything. > > What am I missing? Any help would be appreciated. – Ben B. - Director Airsource Ltd Tel: 01223 708370 / 07786 916043 ---
**Author:** ![jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jazzlover2002)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-not-finding-public-directory/67653/4 "2006-09-11T15:00:12Z")
the only files that are publicly accessible by the server are files in your public folder. That’s why your stylesheets, javascripts, and images folders are all in this folder. So if you go to [http://www.mysite.com/images/image1.jpg](http://www.mysite.com/images/image1.jpg), it is looking on the server at location rails\_app/images/image1.jpg. So if you want to be able to get to a pdf by going to htttp://www.mysite.com/pdfs/pdf1.pdf, you would have to save pdf1.pdf in rails\_app/pdfs/pdf1.pdf On 9/8/06, Ben B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > to play with the concepts. Here is the code: > > (Note: schedprog is an alias to my rails application directory (which > > I don’t see what the public directory has to do with it - if / > > /pdf this is where you want the PDFs to go > > – – Mike W. Web D. UW-Eau Claire ---
**Author:** ![jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@jazzlover2002](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jazzlover2002)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-not-finding-public-directory/67653/5 "2006-09-11T17:58:36Z")
Thanks, Mike. I finally got there. My problem was with a redirect I was doing after I created the pdf file. I discovered I was pointing to the wrong place. So for a while I was looking in the wrong place for a solution. Wasn’t quite awake as I thought I was on this one. 🙂 Dave On Sep 11, 2006, at 5:45 AM, Mike W. wrote: > On 5 Sep 2006, at 21:52, jazzlover2002 wrote: > > > ``` > > pdf.select_font "Times-Roman" > > > > ``` > > schedprog/pdf/hello.pdf is what the error message says, that’s what > > Ben B. - Director > Airsource Ltd > Tel: 01223 708370 / 07786 916043 > > > Dave Pancost removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid