Ruby: how to "require" a file from the current working dir?

Question

How do I require a file from the current folder?

I have a file called sql_parser.rb that contains a class. I want to include this in another file also in the same folder, so I used:

require 'sql_parser'

That fails when I run from that folder:

LoadError: no such file to load -- sql_parser

I tried using IRB in the folder where this file exists and requiring it from there, but had the same issue.

Answer 1

In ruby 1.9.x, you can use the method require_relative. See http://www.ruby-doc.org/core-1.9.3/Kernel.html#method-i-require_relative.

Answer 2

Use

$:.unshift File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__))

to ensure that you're getting a path based on where the script is located, rather than where the program is being executed from. Otherwise, you're throwing away the security benefit gained by removing "." from the load path.

(Yes, the title of the question talks about requiring a file in the directory the script is being run from, but the body of the question mentions that the required file is in the same folder as the script in question)