From: Patrik Sundberg <ps@...>
Date: 2002-01-11T07:57:42+09:00
Subject: Re: When trying to pack Ruby scripts in one .exe file under Windows.

On Fri, Jan 11, 2002 at 07:43:13AM +0900, Carine  Abrantes wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am trying to pack into a single .exe file (i use Ruby 1.6.5 cygwin distrib
> under Windows2000) one Ruby application made up of several scripts that
> connect through some 'require'.
> I have parsed ruby-talk site in order to see what already existed to achieve
> this :
> 
> - RubyWrap: Seems a good solution in my case but, I got problems when it
> comes to linking (with gcc) the first executable (memunwrap.c + the
> generated c file). The linker tells me that there is "illegal symbol index
> #{a_number}
> 
> in relocs" with 'a_number' is a varying number. The problem comes from
> these lines in the rbwrap.rb script :
> 
>   # Inject wrapped data into object file
>   wdo = ""
>   File.open(tfilename + ".o", "r") {|f| wdo = f.read}
>   wdo[wdo.index(matchstr), wrap_str.length] = wrap_str
>   File.open(tfilename + ".o", "w") {|f| f.write wdo}
> 
> 
> in method : exe_creator_uw_compile_wtdall(filewrap). When i comment these
> lines an executable that seems to correspond to my main script filename is
> created
> but it does nothing, i don't even know if it is a valid one and if it
> includes my packed scripts.
> 
> - Ruby2exe: very simple to use but does not seem to support 'require'
> handling. As my application is made of 4 .rb files that includes libraries
> too
> (telnet, ftp, cgi) it is very annoying since these are not packed in the exe
> file.
> One solution would be to manually inline all these dependancies in one
> single script file but I though it would be wise to ask you if it was worth
> it.
> 
> So what would be the best and simplest solution to obtain a single
> executable (the size does not matter that much) with a bunch of ruby
> scripts. It would
> be great if it would embed the ruby interpreter too.
> 
> One other thing, after spending some time reading at ruby-talks regarding
> this executable packaging problem i found that the speed benefit was cited
> as being almost the only advantage and motivation to this type of
> manipulation.
> I just want to add that this type of manipulation is also (and mostly)
> required in a industrial environment. It IS necessary for Ruby to have that
> kind of
> support so that it could be used by any commercial company. No company would
> tell its customers to install Ruby in order to make its software work,
> and no company company would like to add one Ruby file interpreter+dlls in
> a simple software installation. Simplicity of use in the customer side is
> one of the main goals.

I have looked into this a bit. Me and Robert Feldt discussed this on the list
some days before christmas (see the archives). As noted there this kind of
thing would probably come along nicley when a mechanism such as RubyGems is in
place.

-- 
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Patrik Sundberg    Address: Rydsv�gen 100C, 584 31 Link�ping, Sweden       |
                   Email:   ps@raditex.se || ps@radiac.mine.nu             |
                   Phone:   +46 13 178567 || +46 707 602240                |
.---> Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering student                   |
|-----> Master of Science in Business Administration and Economics student |
|-------> UNIX/Programming consultant                                      |
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