How to get the current working directory"s absolute path in Ruby?

How to 💡 get the current working directory's absolute path in Ruby?

Introduction

So, you're working with Ruby on Windows and you want to know how to get the current working directory's absolute path? Don't worry, we've got you covered! In this blog post, we'll walk you through the common issues and provide easy solutions to help you achieve your goal. Let's get started! 🚀

The Problem

The original question mentioned trying to get the current working directory's absolute path from irb and running into a "Permission denied" error when using File.new(Dir.new(".").path).expand.

Solution 1: Using Dir.pwd

One simple solution to get the current working directory's absolute path in Ruby is by using the Dir.pwd method. This method returns a string representing the current working directory (i.e., the absolute path). Let's take a look at an example:

puts Dir.pwd

Running the above code in irb should display the absolute path of the current working directory on your system without any permission issues.

Solution 2: Using File.expand_path

Another way to get the current working directory's absolute path is by using the File.expand_path method. This method resolves the given pathname to an absolute path. In Ruby scripts, you can use __FILE__ to represent the current file's path.

puts File.expand_path(__FILE__)

By executing the above code, you should see the absolute path of the current file in irb or Ruby scripts. However, note that this method might not work as expected in certain scenarios, particularly when executed from irb.

Solution 3: Using Kernel#__dir__

If you're using Ruby version 2.0 or later, you can take advantage of the __dir__ method. This method returns the directory of the currently executing file. Here's an example:

puts __dir__

Executing the above code will give you the absolute path of the current working directory in both irb and Ruby scripts.

Conclusion

Now that you have multiple solutions at your disposal, getting the current working directory's absolute path in Ruby is a breeze! Whether you choose Dir.pwd, File.expand_path, or __dir__, you can confidently retrieve the information you need.

We hope this guide has been helpful to you! Now it's your turn to give it a try. Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below. Let us know which solution worked best for you.

Keep coding! 💻🔥