# Ruby load path and gems

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-load-path-and-gems/89832>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 22, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-load-path-and-gems/89832 "2007-03-22T23:56:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-load-path-and-gems/89832/1 "2007-03-22T23:56:25Z")

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Hi,  
I’m a relative newbie to ruby and linux, so please excuse this if it  
seems a little naive. Also please accept thanks for all the work that  
has gone into a great language.

I thought that if ‘/usr/lib/ruby/1.8’ was in the ruby load path “$:”,  
then ruby would search for a 'require’d package in subdirectories  
under that directory?

for example (as root):  
#gem install ‘fastercsv’ --install-dir=’/usr/lib/ruby/1.8’

This installs without error and fastercsv.rb seems to be where it  
should:  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/fastercsv-1.2.0/lib

now (still with root and the same shell session):  
mv-laptop:/usr/lib/ruby/1.8 # irb  
irb(main):001:0\> require ‘fastercsv’  
LoadError: no such file to load – fastercsv  
from (irb):1:in `require’  
from (irb):1  
irb(main):002:0\> puts $:  
/usr/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8  
/usr/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/i586-linux  
/usr/lib/ruby/site\_ruby  
/usr/lib/ruby/vendor\_ruby/1.8  
/usr/lib/ruby/vendor\_ruby/1.8/i586-linux  
/usr/lib/ruby/vendor\_ruby  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/i586-linux  
.  
=\> nil  
irb(main):003:0\>

Can anyone please shed some light on what I might have configured  
incorrectly?

Regards  
Mark

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-load-path-and-gems/89832/2 "2007-03-23T00:11:26Z")

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On 3/22/07, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> #gem install ‘fastercsv’ --install-dir=‘/usr/lib/ruby/1.8’  
> from (irb):1  
> =\> nil  
> irb(main):003:0\>
> 
> Can anyone please shed some light on what I might have configured  
> incorrectly?
> 
> Regards  
> Mark

Hi,

have you require’d rubygems? either require ‘rubygems’ or call ruby  
with --rubygems or add rubygems to your $RUBYOPT variable.

I don’t know how you can tell gems where to look for the files, but  
from your printout it seems that gems are not loaded (you’d see  
something like rubygems/custom\_require in the output)

Jano