do shell script ruby

[pdoak]

I am trying to run a ruby script from within my applescript but it does not seem to working properly. The ruby script is very simple in that it just writes some text to a file.

I have installed ruby using rbenv which I think is causing the problem. If I run the ruby script from terminal then it works but as soon as I run it from within the applescript I get the following error messages:

→ error “/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/1.8/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in gem_original_require': no such file to load -- rest-client (LoadError) from /System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/1.8/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in require’
from /Users/me/Documents/Ruby/filetest.rb:2” number 1

If I remove the gems from the ruby script, the do shell script runs the ruby script without any problems. I have tried the following commands when using the ruby script with gems:

set rubyscript to “bash -lc ruby /Users/me/Documents/Ruby/filetest.rb”
do shell script rubyscript

This runs without any errors but does not write the file to any location as far as I can tell. I have also tried:

set rubyscript to “ruby /Users/me/Documents/Ruby/filetest.rb | bin/bash”
do shell script rubyscript

This also runs without any errors but again the file is not saved anywhere.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how to get this working.

[McUsr]

Hello!

Any environment variables that are setup by ruby, won’t work directly, do shell script doesn’t use the .bashrc or whatever login file you use.

The other thing, which I think is a copy paste error is that ther is no / in front of bin in your last line. But check the environment first.

And / is the homefolder for the do shell script command (I think) so look after any files there.

There is also a TechNote about do shell script at ADC. (Apple Developer Connection)

[pdoak]

McUsr, thank you for your reply.

I realise that environment variables are not set up when using do shell script but I thought that by using bash -lc command, it would invoke the environment variables along with the bash shell in a similar way to running the ruby script from the terminal. Is that not the case?

[McUsr]

I am not sure, I think -lc should work, but I’d rather use set from both the terminal, and then from a do shell script redirecting the output to two files, and then compare the two files within TextWrangler or similar to be sure.

I really can’t think of anything else than a different environment that should hinder you from running ruby from a do shell script.

Please try the trick above, save environment from both places, and compare with TextWrangler,BBEdit or FileMerge.

[pdoak]

Thank you for your help.

Please could you explain what you mean by using “set” - I am not familiar with that.

Thank you.

[McUsr]

Hello.

set prints out the current environment, just try to enter set and hit enter in a terminal window.

What I wanted you to do was something like entering this in Terminal:

set >~/Desktop/termsettings.txt

and the execute this snippet from AppleScript:

do shell script "/bin/bash -lc \"set >~/Desktop/doshellsettings.txt\""

And then compare the two settings files with a diff utility.

Edit

It seems to me that I then get the same environment, but I can’t be totally sure as I have set some of it at a higher level. But I see now that you didn’t use doubleticks when executing the /bin/bash -lc for the command string, you must embellish the command string with double ticks like this, I think.

do shell script "/bin/bash -lc \"ruby whatever.rb\""

[pdoak]

Thank you very much for your help.

using /bin/bash -lc and embellishing the command with double ticks worked.

[McUsr]

Hello!

I am sorry for not seeing that at first, but I don’t use it that way, and as a matter of fact I thought they were not necessary. It apparently turned out to be so.

Happy ruby/AppleScripting!