Hand cart on the (Ruby on) Rails January 13, 2008
Posted by craiglp in Leopard, OS X, programming, rails, ruby.Tags: Leopard, OS X, rails, ruby
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In my previous post I detailed my problems getting NetBeans 6.0 to use the native Ruby installation on OS X Leopard. So, we pick up the story with that issue resolved.
Ok, time to create a new Rails project and get started. I go through the standard steps in NetBeans and am informed that there is a problem with my gems directory, and NetBeans thinks I am using Rails 1.2.6, instead of the 2.0.2 I installed. The error message sends me off the NetBeans wiki for details. So, off I go to figure out how to add GEM_HOME and GEM_PATH to my environment, so NB will recognize my gems directory. After about 30 minutes of surfing for answers I find the right combination of pages that allow me to piece together the answer.
I’m now running with a freshly created Rails project, complete with a database, with tables.
NOW, I can start coding. So far, the NetBeans/OS X combination has been more frustrating than it should be. Hopefully, I’ve completed all of the initiation rites.
NetBeans includes its own version of JRuby and Rails, such that you can install NetBeans and write Ruby and Rails applications right out of the box without any other configuration necessary. But this can be confusing for users who already have existing Ruby installations on their system. Usually, all you have to do is go to Tools | Options | Ruby | Platform and point to your own Ruby interpreter and it will then use not only your own Ruby but the gem installation attached to that Ruby interpreter as well.
In NetBeans 6.1 we’re making the Ruby platform selection much more intuitive – along with a simple GUI way to point to your gem path etc.
– Tor
In an earlier post, I explained my preference for using the ‘native’ Ruby installation on my MacBook Pro. The Windows version of NetBeans does a better job of letting the user select the Ruby installation to use. On OS X 10.5 it requires a lot more user involvement to use an alternative installation. Now, that being said, I still think NetBeans 6.0 is the best Ruby IDE available right now. Although, I haven’t seen or used 3rdRail. And as a former Delphi programmer and JBuilder user, I would expect it to be a good product.