# Required file for rake task -- put into a plugin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [December 5, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/required-file-for-rake-task-put-into-a-plugin/78423 "2006-12-05T18:03:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ratchetcat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/required-file-for-rake-task-put-into-a-plugin/78423/1 "2006-12-05T18:03:20Z")
Hello all. I’ve just written up a bit of ruby code that I’d like to use in a rake task for my web application (it has to be run on a schedule, and calling rake through cron seems to be a good way to do that). My question is: Where should I place this code so that it’s both accessible to the rake task and logically located in the rails application directory structure? I could place it into a plugin. However, I don’t feel entirely comfortable with that approach since this functionality is pretty important to the application. It’s not really something that should be tacked on. I could also place the code into the lib/tasks directory. However, that seems rather messy. Where would you put it? Thanks for any suggestions or insight. ---
**Author:** ![ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ratchetcat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/required-file-for-rake-task-put-into-a-plugin/78423/2 "2006-12-05T19:10:17Z")
Hello Jon, 2006/12/5, Jon F. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > I could also place the code into the lib/tasks directory. However, that > seems rather messy. Why do you think it’s messy ? That’s where Rake tasks are supposed to go. Simply name your file “lib/tasks/mytasks.rake” and go from there. ## Bye ! François Beausoleil [http://blog.teksol.info/](http://blog.teksol.info/) [http://piston.rubyforge.org/](http://piston.rubyforge.org/) ---
**Author:** ![ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ratchetcat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/required-file-for-rake-task-put-into-a-plugin/78423/3 "2006-12-05T20:15:23Z")
Thanks, François! I have no problem putting the rake file in the lib/tasks directory. I’m just curious whether I should also put my library file (containing objects I use in the rake task) in the same place. It just struck me as a little messy to put it in the same directory as the rake task files. ---
**Author:** ![ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ratchetcat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/required-file-for-rake-task-put-into-a-plugin/78423/4 "2006-12-05T21:04:33Z")
Hello Jon, 2006/12/5, Jon F. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > Okay, I went googling around the web and ran across at least one example > of libraries being placed in – you guessed it – the lib directory. > That seems to work correctly for rake and the application controllers. > It also doesn’t offend my rails-powered sense of ‘rightness’. I realize now that I misread your original E-Mail. You wanted to have some utility code available for the Rake task, but not necessarily for the rest of the application. Now that I understand your requirement, I guess I would simply have dropped the code in the task file. Simple, effective. ## Bye ! François Beausoleil [http://blog.teksol.info/](http://blog.teksol.info/) [http://piston.rubyforge.org/](http://piston.rubyforge.org/) ---
**Author:** ![ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ratchetcat](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ratchetcat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/required-file-for-rake-task-put-into-a-plugin/78423/5 "2006-12-05T20:52:39Z")
Okay, I went googling around the web and ran across at least one example of libraries being placed in – you guessed it – the lib directory. That seems to work correctly for rake and the application controllers. It also doesn’t offend my rails-powered sense of ‘rightness’. ( Ah, so obvious… ) Thanks!