module Kernel

Private Instance Methods

gem(gem_name, *requirements) click to toggle source

Use Kernel#gem to activate a specific version of gem_name.

requirements is a list of version requirements that the specified gem must match, most commonly “= example.version.number”. See Gem::Requirement for how to specify a version requirement.

If you will be activating the latest version of a gem, there is no need to call Kernel#gem, Kernel#require will do the right thing for you.

Kernel#gem returns true if the gem was activated, otherwise false. If the gem could not be found, didn’t match the version requirements, or a different version was already activated, an exception will be raised.

Kernel#gem should be called before any require statements (otherwise RubyGems may load a conflicting library version).

Kernel#gem only loads prerelease versions when prerelease requirements are given:

gem 'rake', '>= 1.1.a', '< 2'

In older RubyGems versions, the environment variable GEM_SKIP could be used to skip activation of specified gems, for example to test out changes that haven’t been installed yet. Now RubyGems defers to -I and the RUBYLIB environment variable to skip activation of a gem.

Example:

GEM_SKIP=libA:libB ruby -I../libA -I../libB ./mycode.rb
# File rubygems/core_ext/kernel_gem.rb, line 35
def gem(gem_name, *requirements) # :doc:
  skip_list = (ENV["GEM_SKIP"] || "").split(/:/)
  raise Gem::LoadError, "skipping #{gem_name}" if skip_list.include? gem_name

  if gem_name.is_a? Gem::Dependency
    unless Gem::Deprecate.skip
      warn "#{Gem.location_of_caller.join ":"}:Warning: Kernel.gem no longer "\
        "accepts a Gem::Dependency object, please pass the name "\
        "and requirements directly"
    end

    requirements = gem_name.requirement
    gem_name = gem_name.name
  end

  dep = Gem::Dependency.new(gem_name, *requirements)

  loaded = Gem.loaded_specs[gem_name]

  return false if loaded && dep.matches_spec?(loaded)

  spec = dep.to_spec

  if spec
    if Gem::LOADED_SPECS_MUTEX.owned?
      spec.activate
    else
      Gem::LOADED_SPECS_MUTEX.synchronize { spec.activate }
    end
  end
end
require(path) click to toggle source

When RubyGems is required, Kernel#require is replaced with our own which is capable of loading gems on demand.

When you call require 'x', this is what happens:

  • If the file can be loaded from the existing Ruby loadpath, it is.

  • Otherwise, installed gems are searched for a file that matches. If it’s found in gem ‘y’, that gem is activated (added to the loadpath).

The normal require functionality of returning false if that file has already been loaded is preserved.

# File rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb, line 36
def require(path) # :doc:
  return gem_original_require(path) unless Gem.discover_gems_on_require

  RUBYGEMS_ACTIVATION_MONITOR.synchronize do
    path = File.path(path)

    # If +path+ belongs to a default gem, we activate it and then go straight
    # to normal require

    if spec = Gem.find_default_spec(path)
      name = spec.name

      next if Gem.loaded_specs[name]

      # Ensure -I beats a default gem
      resolved_path = begin
        rp = nil
        load_path_check_index = Gem.load_path_insert_index - Gem.activated_gem_paths
        Gem.suffixes.find do |s|
          $LOAD_PATH[0...load_path_check_index].find do |lp|
            if File.symlink? lp # for backward compatibility
              next
            end

            full_path = File.expand_path(File.join(lp, "#{path}#{s}"))
            rp = full_path if File.file?(full_path)
          end
        end
        rp
      end

      Kernel.send(:gem, name, Gem::Requirement.default_prerelease) unless
        resolved_path

      next
    end

    # If there are no unresolved deps, then we can use just try
    # normal require handle loading a gem from the rescue below.

    if Gem::Specification.unresolved_deps.empty?
      next
    end

    # If +path+ is for a gem that has already been loaded, don't
    # bother trying to find it in an unresolved gem, just go straight
    # to normal require.
    #--
    # TODO request access to the C implementation of this to speed up RubyGems

    if Gem::Specification.find_active_stub_by_path(path)
      next
    end

    # Attempt to find +path+ in any unresolved gems...

    found_specs = Gem::Specification.find_in_unresolved path

    # If there are no directly unresolved gems, then try and find +path+
    # in any gems that are available via the currently unresolved gems.
    # For example, given:
    #
    #   a => b => c => d
    #
    # If a and b are currently active with c being unresolved and d.rb is
    # requested, then find_in_unresolved_tree will find d.rb in d because
    # it's a dependency of c.
    #
    if found_specs.empty?
      found_specs = Gem::Specification.find_in_unresolved_tree path

      found_specs.each(&:activate)

    # We found +path+ directly in an unresolved gem. Now we figure out, of
    # the possible found specs, which one we should activate.
    else

      # Check that all the found specs are just different
      # versions of the same gem
      names = found_specs.map(&:name).uniq

      if names.size > 1
        raise Gem::LoadError, "#{path} found in multiple gems: #{names.join ", "}"
      end

      # Ok, now find a gem that has no conflicts, starting
      # at the highest version.
      valid = found_specs.find {|s| !s.has_conflicts? }

      unless valid
        le = Gem::LoadError.new "unable to find a version of '#{names.first}' to activate"
        le.name = names.first
        raise le
      end

      valid.activate
    end
  end

  begin
    gem_original_require(path)
  rescue LoadError => load_error
    if load_error.path == path &&
       RUBYGEMS_ACTIVATION_MONITOR.synchronize { Gem.try_activate(path) }

      return gem_original_require(path)
    end

    raise load_error
  end
end