From: Chris Pine <cpine@...>
Date: 2001-02-01T06:48:34+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:10194] Re: Embedded Ruby problems

----- Original Message -----
From: "Olivier CARRERE" <olivier@vibes.net>


Hi,

I'm trying to embed Ruby into another C++ program, and I'm facing two
problems:

1. I'm not sure of what is the sequence to run to start the interpreter,
I tried this one with no success :

ruby_init();
ruby_script("foo.rb"); // foo.rb only makes a print "hello"
ruby_run(); // The program stops while calling it without even printing
the 'hello' string

2. The worst problem is that the called script interpreter makes and
exit() to stop, wich has the disastrous consequence of stopping my
calling program!
Is there a function to stop cleanly the ruby interpreter so that I can
replace each exit() into ruby's source code and continue my program
after a ruby_run() call?

Thanks for any clue,

- Olivier CARRERE
---------------------------------

This has been by experience as well.  The 'exit()' calls in particular are
frustrating.  It appears to me that the Ruby Interpreter code was made only
for use in the compiled Ruby Interpreter (and not for embedded
applications).  Only embedded Ruby would be feasable for my professional use
(though I love it for personal use), but embedded Ruby doesn't do what I
want it to.

Ideally, I would like to init ruby, then run a '.rb' file.  (Maybe that file
just has a few class definitions.)  Then I'm back in my program, where I
create a Ruby class in C, and maybe a global Ruby variable in C.  Then my
program does its thing for a while, until I need to use my Ruby stuff, so I
load up another Ruby file and run it.  (Let's say it creates instances of
the Ruby classes in the first Ruby file and the ones I made in C, then
computes something and stores a value in the global variable.)  I read the
value of the global variable in C(++) and continue right along...

Ah, but it just doesn't work that way.  It looks to me like Ruby was made to
be the "outside" language, with possible pockets of C inside.  As far as I
can see, embedded Ruby means "you can have a C program start your Ruby
program, but then that's it"...

Unless I missed something...

Chris Pine