# Why Include and Require?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-include-and-require/96335>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [June 28, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-include-and-require/96335 "2006-06-28T04:45:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![coolboarderguy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coolboarderguy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/coolboarderguy)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-include-and-require/96335/1 "2006-06-28T04:45:55Z")

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HI All,

with our volunteer teacher absent last night, our class was left to  
ponder  
things for ourselves. We were looking at a ruby equivalent for cp and  
came  
upon something that we all didn’t understand. In the below code, small  
as it  
may be,

#!/usr/local/bin/ruby

require ‘fileutils’  
include FileUtils::Verbose  
cp(“methround.rb”, “newmethround.rb”)

we wondered why we required to use require and include before the code  
would  
work. Naturally, if we removed the, “::Verbose” it still worked. Why  
require  
and then include fileutils? Cheers.

Mark S…

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**Author:** ![coolboarderguy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coolboarderguy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/coolboarderguy)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-include-and-require/96335/2 "2006-06-28T04:49:13Z")

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On 6/28/06, Mark S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> include FileUtils::Verbose  
> cp(“methround.rb”, “newmethround.rb”)
> 
> we wondered why we required to use require and include before the code would  
> work. Naturally, if we removed the, “::Verbose” it still worked. Why require  
> and then include fileutils? Cheers.
> 
> Mark S…

require loads the files, include includes a module in to a class.

In this case you’re including FileUtils::Verbose in to the Object  
class. Removing Verbose works as FileUtils also includes cp, but  
::Verbose uses the Verbose version of cp.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![coolboarderguy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coolboarderguy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/coolboarderguy)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-include-and-require/96335/3 "2006-06-28T04:53:08Z")

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require brings in the code so that you could do something like

FileUtils::Verbose::cp(“methround.rb”, “newmethround.rb”)

include allows you to write something without the namespace (module in  
ruby)  
in front of it hence being able to write:

cp(“methround.rb”, “newmethround.rb”)

This has a good explanation especially if you come from a java  
background:

[http://cwilliams.textdriven.com/articles/2006/04/20/namespacing-and-scoping-in-ruby](http://cwilliams.textdriven.com/articles/2006/04/20/namespacing-and-scoping-in-ruby)

Cheers,  
Jon W.