From: Miss Elaine Eos <Misc@...>
Date: 2007-11-05T11:51:26+09:00
Subject: [n00b] Reading a class-file and calling it at runtime.

I'm trying to read-in a folder full of "plug-ins" and call each of them, 
in turn.  Once I get the class-name, I do something like:

            require "#{PLUG_IN_DIR}/#{one_plugin}"
            plugin_class=Object.const_get(plugin_class_name).new
            plugin_class.some_method

I *thought* that require worked a bit like the C pre-processor 
"include", in that it would read and execute the named file at that 
point, thereby defining my class and its methods.  However, when I get 
to the middle line, I get

     uninitialized constant PluginClassName

Since rails is mistaking my class-name for a constant, I'm guessing that 
require didn't execute the way I think it does, so my class-name isn't 
initialized.

...Or maybe I've completely mis-diagnosed the problem.

At any rate, can someone offer a suggestion for how to read a folder 
full of class-definition-files and, once at a time,

  * Execute the class definition, so that my app knows about it
  * Instantiate an instance of the class (I think we have this part, 
above)
  * Call a method on that class (should just be able to say 
"a_class.a_method", right?)

Thanks!

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