From: Joel VanderWerf <vjoel@...>
Date: 2002-10-30T14:46:16+09:00
Subject: Re: DATA and require

coma_killen@fastmail.fm wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a file that uses __END__ and DATA to read in a large
> string. It works fine when I run it directly.
> 
> But when I require that file in another one it says
> 
> "uninitialized constant DATA"
> 
> Why?

I guess DATA is associated with the $0 file, i.e., the file that was 
first passed to the ruby interpreter. For example:

$ cat a.rb
require 'b'
__END__
In DATA of a.rb

$ cat b.rb
p DATA.gets(nil)
__END__
In DATA of b.rb

$ ruby a.rb
"In DATA of a.rb\n"

$ ruby b.rb
"In DATA of b.rb\n"