# Rails 3 Plugin v Gem using /app **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [September 30, 2010, 8:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789 "2010-09-30T08:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 8:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789/1 "2010-09-30T08:20:57Z")
I’m accustomed to making plugins for Rails 2, and recently updated those for Rails 3 (minor differences in structure). Spent most of this week figuring out how to make most of those gems. One of them I am having trouble with – this one involves an /app directory with some helpers and some views. It has worked great as a Rails2 and even Rails3 plugin. As a gem, I can’t seem to get Rails to see the files in /app. I’ve been using jeweler. I don’t use git, so I have been manually specifying files like this: Jeweler::Tasks.new do |gem| #… gem.files.include(‘app/**/\*.rb’) gem.files.include('lib/**/\*.rb’) #… end That’s apparently not enough. The code in the gem works until the main app hits something needed from the gem’s /app folder. I’m missing something. Googling and trial & error are failing me. What clue say ye? Thx. – gw ---
**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 10:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789/2 "2010-09-30T10:58:20Z")
Devise ( [GitHub - heartcombo/devise: Flexible authentication solution for Rails with Warden.](http://github.com/plataformatec/devise/) ) adds some views, controllers and helpers so you can look at the code. Maybe you are missing the fact that you need Rails::Engine ? [devise/lib/devise/rails.rb at main · heartcombo/devise · GitHub](http://github.com/plataformatec/devise/blob/master/lib/devise/rails.rb) I think that Yehuda K. has a post about it. Robert Pankowecki ---
**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789/3 "2010-09-30T18:36:05Z")
Robert Pankowecki wrote: > Devise ( [GitHub - heartcombo/devise: Flexible authentication solution for Rails with Warden.](http://github.com/plataformatec/devise/) ) adds some views, > controllers and helpers so you can look at the code. Maybe you are > missing the fact that you need Rails::Engine ? > [devise/lib/devise/rails.rb at main · heartcombo/devise · GitHub](http://github.com/plataformatec/devise/blob/master/lib/devise/rails.rb) Thanks for the example. Interesting that it doesn’t use the same pattern as all the blog posts I can find use (re: engines.rb file). Hmmm… – gw ---
**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789/4 "2010-10-01T19:45:31Z")
Keith S. wrote: > Greg, I have a working example that covers a bunch of gem features, it > might help you: > [Keith Schacht – Medium](http://keithschacht.com/creating-a-rails-3-engine-plugin-gem/) OK, so to make use of a /app folder, the gem must be an engine. Keith, I’ve been using your example (thanks) and about a half dozen articles, but still running into problems having the contents in the /app folder get included using this: Jeweler::Tasks.new do |gem| #… gem.files.include(‘app/**/\*.rb’) gem.files.include('lib/**/\*.rb’) #… end I’ve converted almost a dozen of my plugins to gems (so I seem to have that pattern at least emulated well (if not yet fully understood)), and now need two engines. I have one sort of working. The basics all work, so I have the engine.rb part worked out, but it is still missing some /app folder content after I create the gem. I think I just spotted a pattern. In this line, gem.files.include('app/**/\*.rb’) I am not familiar with /**/ but I’m now seeing that in the /app folder, a layout like this: So, /app /models model1.rb /views /red\_stuff red1.rb.rb /blue\_stuff blue1.rb.rb in my installed gem I see /models but not /views – and I think that’s because /views doesn’t have any .rb files in it. So, I think the root of the problems I’m seeing is understanding the files.include() part of jeweler to get what I need (Note: I am not using git). Looking at the ruby gems docs, I don’t see any examples of files.include – so it’s still confusing as to which of these settings commands use gem syntax and which uses jeweler syntax. – gw ---
**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789/5 "2010-10-01T10:21:15Z")
Greg, I have a working example that covers a bunch of gem features, it might help you: [http://keithschacht.com/creating-a-rails-3-engine-plugin-gem/](http://keithschacht.com/creating-a-rails-3-engine-plugin-gem/) ---
**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789/6 "2010-10-01T19:56:06Z")
> So, I think the root of the problems I’m seeing is understanding the > files.include() part of jeweler to get what I need (Note: I am not using > git). Oi! What a moron. gem.files.include(‘app/\*\*/\*.rb’) There are no .rb files in /views! gem.files.include(‘app/**/\*.rb’) gem.files.include('app/**/\*.erb’) catches them. Major thwak to the forehead. – gw ---
**Author:** ![S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@S-gw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/S-gw)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-3-plugin-v-gem-using-app/195789/7 "2010-10-02T05:31:22Z")
Ah, I didn’t catch that in your post either. Glad to see you figured it out!