# Default IRB Directory **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [13 June 2007 05:04 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302 "2007-06-13T05:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rpg\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rpg\_Action](https://rubytalk.org/u/Rpg_Action)\ **Post date:** [13 June 2007 05:04 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302/1 "2007-06-13T05:04:03Z")
I'm new to Ruby, and I've never used a similar language that could be executed from the command line, so I'm pretty clueless in these first couple of steps, and I hope that you'll help me here. Is there a way under Windows that I can set the default IRB directory to a specific folder? Right now the default is C:\, and I've no idea how to go about changing it. > **···** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Nilesh\_Kumar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@Nilesh\_Kumar](https://rubytalk.org/u/Nilesh_Kumar)\ **Post date:** [13 June 2007 15:16 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302/2 "2007-06-13T15:16:09Z")
In commnad prompt type irb and here you are on IRB directory and for coming out of this type exit. Thanks. > **···** > > On 6/13/07, Rpg Action \ wrote: > > > I'm new to Ruby, and I've never used a similar language that could be > > executed from the command line, so I'm pretty clueless in these first > > couple of steps, and I hope that you'll help me here. > > > > Is there a way under Windows that I can set the default IRB directory to > > a specific folder? Right now the default is C:\, and I've no idea how to > > go about changing it. > > > > -- > > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C). ---
**Author:** ![vasudevram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bbce88/32.png) [@vasudevram](https://rubytalk.org/u/vasudevram)\ **Post date:** [13 June 2007 19:25 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302/3 "2007-06-13T19:25:02Z")
Create a shortcut on the Windows Desktop for IRB using Windows Explorer. Then right-click on the shortcut and in the dialog that pops up, look for the field labeled "Start in" (not sure of the exact label for the field, not at my PC now, but in the dialog the label/field should be evident/self-explanatory). In that field, enter the name of the folder that you want IRB to start in. But sorry, this won't help you if you want to run IRB from the command line - from a DOS command prompy, that is. You'll have to double-click on the shortcut on the Desktop for this technique to work. One way to make this work from the command line is to create a batch file called, say, irb0.bat (or any suitable name), and in that file, put these lines: @echo off cd your\_folder\_name here irb Then put that file irb0.bat in some folder which is in your PATH, and run it from any folder when you are in a DOS window. It should do what you want. Or, if you want to come back to the directory from which you run the irb0 file (after the batch file terminates - since the version shown above will leave you in the your\_folder\_name folder), change the "cd" in the 2nd line of the batch file to "pushd" and add a line "popd" below the line "irb". Not tested as I'm not at my PC but looks correct to me. P.S. If you want to pass arguments to irb, change the "irb" line to: irb %1 %2 %3 (and so on upto %9) Then you can pass upto 9 command-line arguments to irb0 when you call it, and those will be passed on to irb. Vasudev Ram > **[dancingbison.com](http://ww38.dancingbison.com/)** > > Learn Python Programming > **···** > > On Jun 13, 10:04 am, Rpg Action \ wrote: > > > I'm new to Ruby, and I've never used a similar language that could be > > executed from the command line, so I'm pretty clueless in these first > > couple of steps, and I hope that you'll help me here. > > > > Is there a way under Windows that I can set the default IRB directory to > > a specific folder? Right now the default is C:\, and I've no idea how to > > go about changing it. > > > > -- > > Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. ---
**Author:** ![Dejan\_Dimic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Dejan\_Dimic](https://rubytalk.org/u/Dejan_Dimic)\ **Post date:** [13 June 2007 20:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302/4 "2007-06-13T20:30:14Z")
Can you be more specific what you try to achieve? Irb is an interpreter console. If you start it from the command prompt then the current directory will be the working directory. It you start if from the some kind shortcut then you can define the "Start in" or working directory. But the key question still remains: what do you want to achieve? > **···** > > On Jun 13, 7:04 am, Rpg Action \ wrote: > > > I'm new to Ruby, and I've never used a similar language that could be > > executed from the command line, so I'm pretty clueless in these first > > couple of steps, and I hope that you'll help me here. > > > > Is there a way under Windows that I can set the default IRB directory to > > a specific folder? Right now the default is C:\, and I've no idea how to > > go about changing it. > > > > -- > > Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. ---
**Author:** ![vasudevram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bbce88/32.png) [@vasudevram](https://rubytalk.org/u/vasudevram)\ **Post date:** [13 June 2007 19:35 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302/5 "2007-06-13T19:35:04Z")
P.S. I wrote too soon. It looks to me like there's a much simpler way to do it. From your description it looks like you're not familiar with the DOS prompt. The default folder for IRB is not C:\ - it is whatever folder you run the irb command from. So you just have to do a "cd" to the folder you want to work in, then run the irb (no need for the irb0.bat) command there. E.g.: cd /d c:\my\folder\name\wherever\it\is irb (The /d changes the drive as well, to C:, in case you were at a different drive when you gave the command.) It would be a good idea to learn more about the DOS prompt and DOS commands - Google for "DOS tutorial", "DOS commands", and variations of the same. Also type "help" at a DOS prompt. Do it like this: C:\\> help \> dos\_help.txt Then open the file dos\_help.txt in a text editor and read it. For most DOS commands, you can use "help command", e.g. "help dir", or "dir /?" to get some help on them. If you want to work with irb, or the ruby command from the command- line (DOS prompt), its pretty much necessary to have some basic DOS knowledge. Not everything can be done from GUI's alone ... Vasudev Ram > **[dancingbison.com](http://ww38.dancingbison.com/)** > > Learn Python Programming > **···** > > On Jun 14, 12:22 am, vasudevram \ wrote: > > > On Jun 13, 10:04 am, Rpg Action \ wrote: > > > > \> I'm new to Ruby, and I've never used a similar language that could be > > \> executed from the command line, so I'm pretty clueless in these first > > \> couple of steps, and I hope that you'll help me here. > > > > \> Is there a way under Windows that I can set the default IRB directory to > > \> a specific folder? Right now the default is C:\, and I've no idea how to > > \> go about changing it. > > > > \> -- > > \> Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. > > > > Create a shortcut on the Windows Desktop for IRB using Windows > > Explorer. > > Then right-click on the shortcut and in the dialog that pops up, look > > for the field labeled "Start in" (not sure of the exact label for the > > field, not at my PC now, but in the dialog the label/field should be > > evident/self-explanatory). In that field, enter the name of the folder > > that you want IRB to start in. > > > > But sorry, this won't help you if you want to run IRB from the command > > line - from a DOS command prompy, that is. You'll have to double-click > > on the shortcut on the Desktop for this technique to work. > > > > One way to make this work from the command line is to create a batch > > file called, say, irb0.bat (or any suitable name), and in that file, > > put these lines: > > > > @echo off > > cd your\_folder\_name here > > irb > > > > Then put that file irb0.bat in some folder which is in your PATH, and > > run it from any folder when you are in a DOS window. It should do what > > you want. > > > > Or, if you want to come back to the directory from which you run the > > irb0 file (after the batch file terminates - since the version shown > > above will leave you in the your\_folder\_name folder), change the "cd" > > in the 2nd line of the batch file to "pushd" and add a line "popd" > > below the line "irb". > > > > Not tested as I'm not at my PC but looks correct to me. > > > > P.S. If you want to pass arguments to irb, change the "irb" line to: > > > > irb %1 %2 %3 (and so on upto %9) > > > > Then you can pass upto 9 command-line arguments to irb0 when you call > > it, and those will be passed on to irb. > > > > Vasudev Ram > > [http://www.dancingbison.com](http://www.dancingbison.com) ---
**Author:** ![Nobuyoshi\_Nakada1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9f8e36/32.png) [@Nobuyoshi\_Nakada1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Nobuyoshi_Nakada1)\ **Post date:** [14 June 2007 03:10 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302/6 "2007-06-14T03:10:57Z")
Hi, At Thu, 14 Jun 2007 04:25:02 +0900, vasudevram wrote in [ruby-talk:255512]: > But sorry, this won't help you if you want to run IRB from the command > line - from a DOS command prompy, that is. You'll have to double-click > on the shortcut on the Desktop for this technique to work.   ruby -C "somewhere you want" -S irb or   ruby -C "somewhere you want" -rirb -e IRB.start > **···** > > -- > Nobu Nakada ---
**Author:** ![vasudevram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bbce88/32.png) [@vasudevram](https://rubytalk.org/u/vasudevram)\ **Post date:** [26 June 2007 12:10 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/default-irb-directory/38302/7 "2007-06-26T12:10:05Z")
Cool, didn't know that, thanks. Good thing I came back to look at this post ... :). Guess that implies that you can pass any Ruby command- line option to irb using this method of invoking it. Vasudev > **···** > > On Jun 14, 8:10 am, Nobuyoshi Nakada \ wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > At Thu, 14 Jun 2007 04:25:02 +0900, > > vasudevram wrote in [ruby-talk:255512]: > > > > \> But sorry, this won't help you if you want to run IRB from the command > > \> line - from a DOS command prompy, that is. You'll have to double-click > > \> on the shortcut on the Desktop for this technique to work. > > > >   ruby -C "somewhere you want" -S irb > > > > or > > > >   ruby -C "somewhere you want" -rirb -e IRB.start > > > > -- > > Nobu Nakada