# Rdoc and ri for gem/non-gem installs **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [March 24, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-and-ri-for-gem-non-gem-installs/89963 "2007-03-24T07:00:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/braver)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-and-ri-for-gem-non-gem-installs/89963/1 "2007-03-24T07:00:26Z")
I’ve been installing some gems, as well as non-gem tarballs, into my darwinports (now macports) ruby install on Darwin. Then, when I do ri, I can’t see the docs. Poking around /opt/local/lib/ruby shows that gems’ docs are generated next to them. How’s one supposed to look at them all – by using -d to ri and figuring out the path all the time? ---
**Author:** ![braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/braver)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-and-ri-for-gem-non-gem-installs/89963/2 "2007-03-24T19:40:47Z")
On Mar 23, 10:55 pm, “braver” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I’ve been installing some gems, as well as non-gem tarballs, into my > darwinports (now macports) ruby install on Darwin. Then, when I do > ri, I can’t see the docs. Poking around /opt/local/lib/ruby shows > that gems’ docs are generated next to them. How’s one supposed to > look at them all – by using -d to ri and figuring out the path all > the time? Found this by Dave: [http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/cgi-bin/scat.rb/ruby/ruby-talk/113707](http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/cgi-bin/scat.rb/ruby/ruby-talk/113707) – that’s 2004. What’s the status now, and specifically, why does gem install create ri docs next to gems? I’d like all ri docs to be centrally accessible – by a single ri command without options. What should one ensure in ri setup (config files? env variable with - d paths?) to be able to access all site-ruby and gem-installed ri docs? And/or, what needs to be preset before the gem/local installs – so the ri docs, and rdoc html, all go to a central location? And – what happens if I have a gem, but also a site-local install? Cheers, Alexy ---
**Author:** ![braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/braver)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 11:50am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-and-ri-for-gem-non-gem-installs/89963/3 "2007-03-27T11:50:55Z")
OK – to make the question really simple: how do you consilidate all ri docs, and make sure new installs, both from gems and tarballs, keep them consolidated – available to ri without -d options? ---
**Author:** ![braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/braver)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-and-ri-for-gem-non-gem-installs/89963/4 "2007-03-27T22:20:00Z")
On Mar 23, 2007, at 23:00, braver wrote: > I’ve been installing some gems, as well as non-gem tarballs, into my > darwinports (now macports) ruby install on Darwin. Then, when I do > ri, I can’t see the docs. Poking around /opt/local/lib/ruby shows > that gems’ docs are generated next to them. How’s one supposed to > look at them all – by using -d to ri and figuring out the path all > the time? What version of Ruby are you using? ---
**Author:** ![braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@braver](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/braver)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-and-ri-for-gem-non-gem-installs/89963/5 "2007-05-06T21:46:17Z")
On Mar 24, 1:37 pm, “braver” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > And – what happens if I have a gem, but also a site-local install? > > Cheers, > Alexy Here’s how I got it to work: Made a file named .gemrc in my home directory with contents “rdoc: – ri” Ran “gem rdoc --all” Had a nice beverage and waited a while. Now ri finds classes from gems as well as system stuff. Makes ^H in TextMate very handy.