# Radrails: workspace in use, choose a different one **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 31, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493 "2006-03-31T17:52:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/stuartbrand)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493/1 "2006-03-31T17:52:03Z")
I’ve just begun using Radrails and am experiencing a puzzling error. When I set my workspace to my home directory/some subdirectory, Radrails starts correctly. I would like to set the workspace to /var/rails where I have all of my existing rails apps but Radrails fails to start with the error: workspace in use, choose a different one. Any ideas? I want to edit the code in the directory in which it runs, thereby avoiding copying the modded code to the executable directory. ## Thanks View this message in context: [http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3691764](http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3691764) Sent from the RubyOnRails Users forum at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com). ---
**Author:** ![stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/stuartbrand)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493/2 "2006-03-31T18:35:03Z")
try removing/renaming the /var/rails/.metadata/.lock file and see if that corrects it. if that doesn’t do anything, take a look in the current workspace .metadata/.log file for a possible reason. hope that helps. Chris ---
**Author:** ![stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/stuartbrand)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493/3 "2006-03-31T22:55:06Z")
Thanks for the tips. However there isn’t a .metadata directory in /var/rails. I’ve never been able to set that as a workspace so it’s not surprising I guess. I’ve looked at the .metadata/.log file in my current workspace but I can’t understand it. – View this message in context: [http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3696671](http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3696671) Sent from the RubyOnRails Users forum at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com). ---
**Author:** ![stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/stuartbrand)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493/4 "2006-04-07T04:22:13Z")
I’m still having problems with this. I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find a solution that fits. I’ve just installed the latest version of Radrails and deleted the old workspace directory. I’m able to set various directories in my home directory as the workspace without error but I can’t set the /var/rails directory or any of it’s subdirectories as the workspace. I get the “workspace in use” error. I’ve tried creating a sym link from my home directory to /var/rails but that doesn’t work either. I’ve searched for a .metadata directory in every directory I’ve tried to unsuccessfully set as the workspace and have yet to find one. It doesn’t appear to have anything to do with a .lock file. When I set the workspace to a directory in my home directory it successfully creates the .metadata directory and the .lock file. I keep all of my rails apps in /var/rails/ and use virtual servers in apache so I would like to be able to edit the files directly from the /var/rails directory. ## Does anyone have any ideas? I’m running Ubuntu 5.10 View this message in context: [http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3796622](http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3796622) Sent from the RubyOnRails Users forum at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com). ---
**Author:** ![stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/stuartbrand)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493/5 "2006-04-07T04:41:21Z")
Update: I was able to get the workspace set to /var/rails. What I did was set the workspace to /tmp then I copied the .metadata directory to /var/rails then deleted the .lock file. I had to chown -R the .metada directory to stuart:stuart (my username:group) in order for Radrails to be able to write the .lock file. I can now open and close Radrails and set /var/rails as the workspace. However, I can’t create a new project. When I click on the “Finish” button, the progress bar just flashes and nothing happens. The new project dialog just stays open and nothing happens. I use eclipse for java dev so I’m no noob to the interface. I just can’t get this darn thing to work. ## How about this problem? Any ideas? View this message in context: [http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3796778](http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3796778) Sent from the RubyOnRails Users forum at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com). ---
**Author:** ![stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/stuartbrand)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493/6 "2006-04-07T04:53:24Z")
## Never mind me guys, it seems I’m finally getting some where. I finally chown’d all the directories in /var/rails so eclipse could write to them. That seemed to work. Thanks for the previous help. View this message in context: [http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3796891](http://www.nabble.com/Radrails%3A-workspace-in-use%2C-choose-a-different-one-t1375379.html#a3796891) Sent from the RubyOnRails Users forum at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com). ---
**Author:** ![stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stuartbrand](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/stuartbrand)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/radrails-workspace-in-use-choose-a-different-one/56493/7 "2006-03-31T23:10:28Z")
try deleting the .lock file in your current workspace (with radrails NOT running), then start radrails and try to change the workspace.