# Absolute Beginner - Where to run program? **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [12 May 2007 04:50 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544 "2007-05-12T04:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michaelcuculich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Michaelcuculich](https://rubytalk.org/u/Michaelcuculich)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 04:50 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/1 "2007-05-12T04:50:04Z")
hello there, i am an absolute beginner, so my question might seem rather silly. i just installed ruby 186-25 using the windows installer- my computer is windows xp. my first step was to follow the "ruby in twenty minutes" tutorial. at a certain point they tell you to close the fxri consule in order to create a ruby program on a file. so far so good. they then tell you to run the file by typing "ruby ri20min.rb" here is the tutorial: [http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/documentation/quickstart/3/](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/documentation/quickstart/3/) that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command line? another tutorial i was looking at said to find out what version you have installed to type "ruby -v" in the shell - but what exact is the shell? the unix shell? if i am using windows xp where do i find that exactly? i know this may be a really silly question, and i bet it's so simple that they don't post this information anywhere. i'm almost embarrassed to ask. but i'd appreciate a kick start here- thanks! 馃槂 -m ---
**Author:** ![Harry3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/54ee81/32.png) [@Harry3](https://rubytalk.org/u/Harry3)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 05:04 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/2 "2007-05-12T05:04:22Z")
Hi, You can type 'ruby -v' in at the command prompt. I think you can find that under Start-Accessories-Command prompt. I'm on Japanese XP so I'm not sure of the exact English wording they use. This window will allow you to type DOS commands and run ruby programs, etc. Harry > **路路路** > > On 5/12/07, MichaelCuculich@gmail.com \ wrote: > > > hello there, > > > > another tutorial i was looking at said to find out what version you > > have installed to type "ruby -v" in the shell - but what exact is the > > shell? the unix shell? if i am using windows xp where do i find that > > exactly? > > -- > > > **[Kakueki.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=kakueki.com)** > > > > Start using this domain right away. Straightforward domain shopping experience. Quick access to your domain. > > A Look into Japanese Ruby List in English ---
**Author:** ![Sherm\_Pendley1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Sherm\_Pendley1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Sherm_Pendley1)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 05:10 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/3 "2007-05-12T05:10:03Z")
MichaelCuculich@gmail.com writes: > that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > line? Start Menu -\> /Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt sherm-- > **路路路** > > -- > Web Hosting by West Virginians, for West Virginians: [http://wv-www.net](http://wv-www.net) > Cocoa programming in Perl: [http://camelbones.sourceforge.net](http://camelbones.sourceforge.net) ---
**Author:** ![Harry3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/54ee81/32.png) [@Harry3](https://rubytalk.org/u/Harry3)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 05:15 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/4 "2007-05-12T05:15:00Z")
I'm not familiar with that tutorial, but have you already created your file using notepad or some other editor? To run the Ruby program, you will need to navigate to the directory containing your file (ri20min.rb) and type 'ruby ri20min.rb'. Harry > **路路路** > > On 5/12/07, MichaelCuculich@gmail.com \ wrote: > > > hello there, > > > > my first step was to follow the "ruby in twenty minutes" tutorial. at > > a certain point they tell you to close the fxri consule in order to > > create a ruby program on a file. so far so good. they then tell you > > to run the file by typing "ruby ri20min.rb" > > here is the tutorial: [Ruby in Twenty Minutes](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/documentation/quickstart/3/) > > > > that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > > line? > > -- > > > **[Kakueki.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=kakueki.com)** > > > > Start using this domain right away. Straightforward domain shopping experience. Quick access to your domain. > > A Look into Japanese Ruby List in English ---
**Author:** ![zotobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba8739/32.png) [@zotobi](https://rubytalk.org/u/zotobi)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 06:25 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/5 "2007-05-12T06:25:04Z")
What you need is the command prompt. If you can't find it with what Sherm said, try going to Run (shortcut: Startbutton+R, the startbutton on your keyboard) and typing in 'cmd' and hitting enter. That should do it. > **路路路** > > On May 11, 9:47 pm, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > hello there, > > > > i am an absolute beginner, so my question might seem rather silly. i > > just installed ruby 186-25 using the windows installer- my computer is > > windows xp. > > > > my first step was to follow the "ruby in twenty minutes" tutorial. at > > a certain point they tell you to close the fxri consule in order to > > create a ruby program on a file. so far so good. they then tell you > > to run the file by typing "ruby ri20min.rb" > > here is the tutorial: [Ruby in Twenty Minutes](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/documentation/quickstart/3/) > > > > that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > > line? > > > > another tutorial i was looking at said to find out what version you > > have installed to type "ruby -v" in the shell - but what exact is the > > shell? the unix shell? if i am using windows xp where do i find that > > exactly? > > > > i know this may be a really silly question, and i bet it's so simple > > that they don't post this information anywhere. i'm almost > > embarrassed to ask. but i'd appreciate a kick start here- thanks! 馃槂 > > > > -m ---
**Author:** ![Lloyd\_Linklater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/919ad9/32.png) [@Lloyd\_Linklater](https://rubytalk.org/u/Lloyd_Linklater)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 06:34 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/6 "2007-05-12T06:34:11Z")
I suggest that you use eclipse. > **[Eclipse Oxygen](http://www.eclipse.org/)** > > Eclipse is probably best known as a Java IDE, but it is more: it is an IDE framework, a tools framework, an open source project, a community, an eco-system, and a foundation. Then, get the Ruby for Eclipse add ons: [http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-rubyeclipse/](http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-rubyeclipse/) Then, run eclipse. In the menu go to window-\>preferences-\>ruby-\>installed interpreters. Click add and point to the ruby directory. Then, write a simple program. You might copy and paste this one to start with: 10.times {puts 'Lloyd is the greatest!'} and hit the run button. It is ever so much better than "Hello world." > **路路路** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Cliff\_Rowley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Cliff\_Rowley](https://rubytalk.org/u/Cliff_Rowley)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 06:58 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/7 "2007-05-12T06:58:05Z")
> From: MichaelCuculich@gmail.com [mailto:MichaelCuculich@gmail.com] > Sent: 12 May 2007 05:50 > To: ruby-talk ML > Subject: Absolute Beginner - Where to run program? > > that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that > command line? Click Start -\> Run, type 'cmd' (without quotes) and hit enter 馃檪 > another tutorial i was looking at said to find out what > version you have installed to type "ruby -v" in the shell - > but what exact is the shell? the unix shell? if i am using > windows xp where do i find that exactly? The 'shell' under Windows is not very powerful compared to a Unix shell, and the Windows shell does not support the same set of commands as Unix. Just a quick overview, try some of these commands: dir (lists the contents of the current directory) cd \ (change to the directory specified) mkdir \ (creates the directory specified) rmdir \ (removes the directory specified - only if empty) That's probably about all you'll need 馃檪 Oh, and all paths on Windows use a backslash character (\) whereas paths on Unix are specified using forward slashes (/). E.g. "C:\Windows\System32" on Windows, vs "/usr/bin" on Unix. So, for example, to create a 'work' directory on the root of your C drive and move to it: cd \ mkdir work cd work If you now go to your C drive through My Computer, you'll see a 'work' directory 馃檪 Oh, and to change to another drive entirely (e.g. if you are on your C drive and you wish to change to your D drive) - just type the name of the drive followed by a colon. For example, to change to your D drive, just type: D: That's it 馃檪 > i know this may be a really silly question, and i bet it's so > simple that they don't post this information anywhere. i'm > almost embarrassed to ask. but i'd appreciate a kick start > here- thanks! 馃槂 Not silly at all 馃檪 Same with any knowledge. You don't know until you know 馃檪 Incidentally, someone suggested you should use Eclipse. Please, for your own sake don't even think about using an IDE like Eclipse until you are familiar with how things work without one. Otherwise as soon as something goes wrong you'll have no idea why and you'll have a mountain of other things to learn first before you can solve your problems. Keep it simple until you feel it nescessary to move onto something advanced. My 2 pence 馃檪 Cliff > **路路路** > > > -----Original Message----- ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_Luginbuehl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Christian\_Luginbuehl](https://rubytalk.org/u/Christian_Luginbuehl)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 13:27 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/8 "2007-05-12T13:27:56Z")
> that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > line? First of all, let me say that the following terms you might find in tutorials or books all mean basically the same: Command line, Command Prompt, DOS Prompt, Terminal, Shell, Console and probably a few more. Another thing: If you installed from the One-Click-Installer you also should have the file extension .rb been associated with the ruby interpreter. This means if you double-click of a file (let's say 'test.rb') it will automatically open a Command Prompt and run ruby on your file (with the command 'ruby test.rb') in the directory it is saved. If your Command Prompt opens and directly closes and you can't see the output of your program this means that your program has terminated and therefore the Command Prompt was closed. To avoid that you can tell somewhere (I can't remember where - I'm running Linux here) to let you close the window manually or simply put a 'gets' at the end of your source file ('test.rb'). This is a method that asks for user input via the keyboard and therefore your program won't close until you hit the \ key. Cheers, Christian Luginbuehl ---
**Author:** ![David\_Mullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@David\_Mullet](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_Mullet)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 16:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/9 "2007-05-12T16:30:06Z")
As Sherm mentioned, you'll want to open a command/console window. You'll find further details on the Windows Command Prompt here... > **[Introduction to the Windows Command Prompt](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/windows-command-prompt-introduction/)** > > Before Windows was created, the most common operating system that ran on IBM PC compatibles was DOS. DOS stands for Disk Operating System and was what you would use if you had started your computer much like you do today with Windows. The difference... Hope that helps. David > **[Ruby on Windows](http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com)** > > On using the Ruby programming language on the Microsoft Windows platform > **路路路** > > On May 12, 12:47 am, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > > line? > > > > -m ---
**Author:** ![Michaelcuculich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Michaelcuculich](https://rubytalk.org/u/Michaelcuculich)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 21:25 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/10 "2007-05-12T21:25:05Z")
found it! thanks to all! 馃檪 when creating these ruby files, is there a specific place that you should put them and/pr run them from? in other words, when i create this sample ruby program, should i just put it in the C:/ruby folder? or is it better "form" to create a folder for them, etc.? just wondering... in any case, thanks! 馃檪 > **路路路** > > On May 12, 9:26 am, mully \ wrote: > > > On May 12, 12:47 am, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > > \> that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > > \> line? > > > > \> -m > > > > As Sherm mentioned, you'll want to open a command/console window. > > You'll find further details on the Windows Command Prompt here... > > > > [Introduction to the Windows Command Prompt](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial76.html#intro) > > > > Hope that helps. > > > > Davidhttp://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hunter4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Tim\_Hunter4](https://rubytalk.org/u/Tim_Hunter4)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 21:46 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/11 "2007-05-12T21:46:43Z")
MichaelCuculich@gmail.com wrote: > **路路路** > > > On May 12, 9:26 am, mully \ wrote: > >    > > > > > On May 12, 12:47 am, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > > > > > that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > > > > line? > > > >       -m > > > >        > > > > > > As Sherm mentioned, you'll want to open a command/console window. > > > You'll find further details on the Windows Command Prompt here... > > > > > > [Introduction to the Windows Command Prompt](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial76.html#intro) > > > > > > Hope that helps. > > > > > > Davidhttp://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com > > >      > > > found it! thanks to all! 馃檪 > > > when creating these ruby files, is there a specific place that you > > > should put them and/pr run them from? in other words, when i create > > > this sample ruby program, should i just put it in the C:/ruby folder? > > > or is it better "form" to create a folder for them, etc.? just > > > wondering... > > > in any case, thanks! 馃檪 > > I would keep them separate from the Ruby files themselves. You may need to delete that directory for some reason or upgrade Ruby and you don't want to run the risk of erasing all your Ruby programs. > > I keep my Ruby programs in C:\rb. > > -- > RMagick [[http://rmagick.rubyforge.org](http://rmagick.rubyforge.org)] > RMagick Installation FAQ [[http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/install-faq.html\](http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/install-faq.html%5C)] ---
**Author:** ![zotobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba8739/32.png) [@zotobi](https://rubytalk.org/u/zotobi)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 21:55 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/12 "2007-05-12T21:55:04Z")
Probably better to put it in a separate folder from your ruby installation just to keep things neat and clear. > **路路路** > > On May 12, 2:20 pm, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > On May 12, 9:26 am, mully \ wrote: > > > > \> On May 12, 12:47 am, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > > \> \> that is all fine, but my question is: where do you type that command > > \> \> line? > > > > \> \> -m > > > > \> As Sherm mentioned, you'll want to open a command/console window. > > \> You'll find further details on the Windows Command Prompt here... > > > > \>[Introduction to the Windows Command Prompt](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial76.html#intro) > > > > \> Hope that helps. > > > > \> Davidhttp://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com > > > > found it! thanks to all! 馃檪 > > when creating these ruby files, is there a specific place that you > > should put them and/pr run them from? in other words, when i create > > this sample ruby program, should i just put it in the C:/ruby folder? > > or is it better "form" to create a folder for them, etc.? just > > wondering... > > in any case, thanks! 馃檪 ---
**Author:** ![David\_Mullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@David\_Mullet](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_Mullet)\ **Post date:** [12 May 2007 22:35 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/13 "2007-05-12T22:35:04Z")
Good question! I agree with zotobi that's it's definitely best to create a separate folder for your ruby scripts, outside your ruby install folder. This ensures that your scripts don't get blown away by changes to your ruby installation folder. I'll soon be posting a Ruby on Windows FAQ to my blog. You've asked good questions here, which I plan to include in that article. David > **[Ruby on Windows](http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com)** > > On using the Ruby programming language on the Microsoft Windows platform > **路路路** > > On May 12, 5:20 pm, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > when creating these ruby files, is there a specific place that you > > should put them and/pr run them from? in other words, when i create > > this sample ruby program, should i just put it in the C:/ruby folder? > > or is it better "form" to create a folder for them, etc.? just > > wondering... > > in any case, thanks! 馃檪 ---
**Author:** ![James\_Britt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/22d042/32.png) [@James\_Britt](https://rubytalk.org/u/James_Britt)\ **Post date:** [13 May 2007 15:12 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/14 "2007-05-13T15:12:19Z")
It's not only a Ruby issue, but organizing files is an interesting issue. There are many approaches. Notice how files are organized in the operating system. Windows and various \*nix's organize things in various ways. Web sites as well tend to have a few different ways that files are commonly organized. So you may want to create a directory (folder) that holds all or most of the stuff you create for one language (such as RubyStuff). Then another for each grouping. So if you start working through exercises in a book on Ruby, create a directory just for that book's exercises. Directory tree structure is as important as anything else in planning a program. Rails for example has its own directory tree structure. It is a pretty well thought out one too. There are a few directories in Rails that are legacy things from older versions, but most of it makes a lot of sense once you start to get familiar with it. The environment (the OS and the way it is structured and the way it works) is as much a part of your programs as anything else! Just something to think about. It becomes more clear as you go along. Different kinds of projects demand different sensibilities in organization. > **路路路** > > On May 13, 2007, at 7:35 AM, mully wrote: > > > On May 12, 5:20 pm, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > > > > when creating these ruby files, is there a specific place that you > > > should put them and/pr run them from? in other words, when i create > > > this sample ruby program, should i just put it in the C:/ruby folder? > > > or is it better "form" to create a folder for them, etc.? just > > > wondering... > > > in any case, thanks! 馃檪 > > > > Good question! I agree with zotobi that's it's definitely best to > > create a separate folder for your ruby scripts, outside your ruby > > install folder. This ensures that your scripts don't get blown away by > > changes to your ruby installation folder. > > > > I'll soon be posting a Ruby on Windows FAQ to my blog. You've asked > > good questions here, which I plan to include in that article. > > > > David > > > > [http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com](http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Guindon1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Bill\_Guindon1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Bill_Guindon1)\ **Post date:** [13 May 2007 15:37 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/absolute-beginner-where-to-run-program/37544/15 "2007-05-13T15:37:38Z")
I completely agree with John. Over time, you'll probably end up with not only a Ruby directory, but subdirectories below it. Of course, you don't have to do that immediately, but you might want to. Personally, I like to have at least one 'junk' directory, a place where I drop small experiments that may one day become something useful, or that I can turn back to when I get hit with the same question months later. In the past, I've called it 'sandbox', or 'playground', my current one is called 'anarchy' - it's where 'anything goes' 馃槈 Some ideas: ruby\learning # 'primitive' stuff that beginners write. ruby\sandbox # useful examples, or test scripts. ruby\apps\someapp # when you actually have working apps ruby\quiz # if you do the quizes, you should group them, with a dir for each. > **路路路** > > On 5/13/07, John Joyce \ wrote: > > > On May 13, 2007, at 7:35 AM, mully wrote: > > > > \> On May 12, 5:20 pm, MichaelCucul...@gmail.com wrote: > > \> > > \>\> when creating these ruby files, is there a specific place that you > > \>\> should put them and/pr run them from? in other words, when i create > > \>\> this sample ruby program, should i just put it in the C:/ruby folder? > > \>\> or is it better "form" to create a folder for them, etc.? just > > \>\> wondering... > > \>\> in any case, thanks! 馃檪 > > \> > > > > It's not only a Ruby issue, but organizing files is an interesting > > issue. There are many approaches. Notice how files are organized in > > the operating system. Windows and various \*nix's organize things in > > various ways. Web sites as well tend to have a few different ways > > that files are commonly organized. > > So you may want to create a directory (folder) that holds all or most > > of the stuff you create for one language (such as RubyStuff). > > Then another for each grouping. So if you start working through > > exercises in a book on Ruby, create a directory just for that book's > > exercises. Directory tree structure is as important as anything else > > in planning a program. Rails for example has its own directory tree > > structure. It is a pretty well thought out one too. There are a few > > directories in Rails that are legacy things from older versions, but > > most of it makes a lot of sense once you start to get familiar with > > it. The environment (the OS and the way it is structured and the way > > it works) is as much a part of your programs as anything else! > > Just something to think about. It becomes more clear as you go along. > > Different kinds of projects demand different sensibilities in > > organization. > > -- > Bill Guindon (aka aGorilla) > The best answer to most questions is "it depends".