# RDoc::usage has gone

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-usage-has-gone/164501>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [April 1, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-usage-has-gone/164501 "2009-04-01T23:55:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![James\_Ponder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@James\_Ponder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/James_Ponder)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-usage-has-gone/164501/1 "2009-04-01T23:55:03Z")

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Hi

RDoc::usage was removed from ruby at the beginning of 2008, and thus is  
not present in Ruby 1.9.1:

Fri Jan 11 18:28:49 2008 Eric H.  
\* lib/rdoc/usage.rb: Removed.  
\* lib/getoptlong.rb: Update example to not use  
lib/rdoc/usage.rb.

It was a very useful function that allowed documentation in rdoc format  
to be programmatically output. I’ve been using it for displaying  
extended information either after an OptionsParser help summary output  
or as a replacement when OptionsParser’s output isn’t suitable. It’s  
also very useful for other information-display reasons where you want  
information in rdoc format to also be programmatically available to  
avoid duplication.

It seems a shame that it has gone, especially as it is documented in the  
pickaxe book (second edition) and is widely deployed.

What is a suitable replacement?

James

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![James\_Ponder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@James\_Ponder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/James_Ponder)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rdoc-usage-has-gone/164501/2 "2009-04-02T00:06:46Z")

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On Apr 1, 2009, at 14:52, James Ponder wrote:

> displaying extended information either after an OptionsParser help  
> summary output or as a replacement when OptionsParser’s output isn’t  
> suitable. It’s also very useful for other information-display  
> reasons where you want information in rdoc format to also be  
> programmatically available to avoid duplication.
> 
> It seems a shame that it has gone, especially as it is documented in  
> the pickaxe book (second edition) and is widely deployed.
> 
> What is a suitable replacement?

There’s no reason you can’t take rdoc/usage.rb from RDoc 1, modernize  
it and release it as a gem.