From: Michael Neumann <neumann@...>
Date: 2002-02-07T03:22:31+09:00
Subject: Re: Easy way to interactively use Ruby with program

Brett Williams wrote:
> So I've read through the pickaxe book's chapter on extending Ruby, and the
> appendix on irb... but I still haven't figured out how to do exactly what I
> want to do (probably my fault... but maybe someone can help me).
> 
> What I wish to do is so simple that I'm sure there is a good established way
> to do it.
> 
> I have a ruby program (it calls C libraries etc... does lots of stuff).
> What I would like to do is to be able to call irb such that when the program
> finishes, the user is left with a command prompt, and has access to
> everything as if he had called the loads/requires methods etc. that the
> program did himself.
> 
> Basically, the program needs to do a lot of startup work, and then give
> control of the program to the user, with all modules, classes, variables,
> and methods available at the prompt.
> 
> It seems like there should just be something like irb -f <script>

Take a look inside sqlsh.rb from the Ruby/DBI distribution. It's an interactive 
SQL command line processor. With command \irb you can switch into IRB, and then go 
back (with exit).

Regards,

  Michael

-- 
Michael Neumann
merlin.zwo InfoDesign GmbH
http://www.merlin-zwo.de