# The mystery of File::append **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [September 18, 2008, 4:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-mystery-of-file-append/148899 "2008-09-18T04:58:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sentinel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 4:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-mystery-of-file-append/148899/1 "2008-09-18T04:58:50Z")
$ ri File::append gives me: ``` File::append( file, str ) ``` * * * ``` Append to a file. CREDIT: George M. ``` `$ri File` also shows me append as a class method. However, my html documentation does not give this (1.8.6). Trying to use `File::append` in irb or ruby fails (no such method). Even google has no entry for this class method. What mistake am I making ? ---
**Author:** ![sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sentinel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 9:10am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-mystery-of-file-append/148899/2 "2008-09-18T09:10:12Z")
Alle Thursday 18 September 2008, Nit K. ha scritto: > However, my html documentation does not give this (1.8.6). Trying to use > `File::append` in irb or ruby fails (no such method). Even google has no > entry for this class method. > > What mistake am I making ? It’s part of the facets library. Unfortunately, ri doesn’t show the name of the file where a method or class is defined or the library or gem it comes from. To use that method, since it seems you already have facets installed, you need to do this: require ‘rubygems’ #unless it’s already defined in the RUBYOPT environment #variable require ‘facets/file/write’ File.append(file, str) I hope this helps Stefano ---
**Author:** ![sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sentinel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 9:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-mystery-of-file-append/148899/3 "2008-09-18T09:35:28Z")
Stefano C. wrote: > It’s part of the facets library. Unfortunately, ri doesn’t show the name Aah, thanks. Yes, I used facets last year… However, would be grateful if you could tell me how to decide what to use in the require statement for a facets class. Whenever i use facets, i struggle to figure out the require statement. What is shown in the examples often does not work. Some while back I came upon ProgressBar. It took me a while of trying to figure out the require. Then Console::ANSICode gives an example: “include Console::ANSICode” irb(main):011:0\> include Console::ANSICode NameError: uninitialized constant Console from (irb):11 I tried many combinations, finally “require ‘facets/ansicode’” did not give an error but still the “include Console::ANSICode” gives the error above. I can’t remember if I managed to make the example run or not. (I have started with require rubygems and facets.) ---
**Author:** ![sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sentinel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-mystery-of-file-append/148899/4 "2008-09-18T15:08:52Z")
On Sep 18, 3:27 am, Nit K. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Stefano C. wrote: > > > It’s part of the facets library. Unfortunately, ri doesn’t show the name > > Aah, thanks. Yes, I used facets last year… > > However, would be grateful if you could tell me how to decide what to > use in the require statement for a facets class. Whenever i use facets, > i struggle to figure out the require statement. What is shown in the > examples often does not work. It is: require ‘facets/{class|module}/{method\_name}’ There are some exceptions where one method is in the same file as another (eg. write/append), but these are being worked out and should be almost not existent in another release or two. Even so, require ‘facets’ hides all that. > Some while back I came upon ProgressBar. It took me a while of trying to > figure out the require. > > Then Console::ANSICode gives an example: “include Console::ANSICode” > > irb(main):011:0\> include Console::ANSICode > NameError: uninitialized constant Console > from (irb):11 It’s just require ‘facets/ansicode’ ANSICode The Console:: namespace has been deprecated. The docs just need to be fixed. T. ---
**Author:** ![sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@sentinel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sentinel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-mystery-of-file-append/148899/5 "2008-09-18T10:45:11Z")
Alle Thursday 18 September 2008, Nit K. ha scritto: > Some while back I came upon ProgressBar. It took me a while of trying to > above. > I can’t remember if I managed to make the example run or not. > > (I have started with require rubygems and facets.) According to the facets documentation, a simple require ‘facets’ will require all the Core facets library. If you want to load only the Core methods for a single class (for example, the File class), you can do require ‘facets/file’ If you want only to load a specific method, you can find the file where it’s defined by looking up the method you’re interested to in the facets rdoc api ([http://facets.rubyforge.org/doc/index.html](http://facets.rubyforge.org/doc/index.html)), then clicking on the “show source” link. This will display the source code for the method. At the top of the source code, there’s a comment with the name of the file where the method is defined. This is the file you need to require. Note, however, that that line starts with something like ‘lib/core/facets/…/’. You should only put the part of the string starting with facets in your call to require. All what I said is valid for recent versions of facets, so if you have an old version, you may need to update it. Stefano Stefano