Installing ActiveRuby on Windows

You can install ActiveRuby by downloading and running the Setup Wizard (.exe). For more complex installations you can run the Setup Wizard on the command line.

Windows is the only supported platform for the beta release of ActiveRuby. macOS and Linux will be supported in future releases.

Prerequisites

Ensure that your system meets the minimum requirements before you start the installation. The ActiveRuby 2.3.4 Beta release has the following requirements:

  • Windows 64-bit (amd64); Windows 7, or later
  • The installation requires at least 1 GB of hard drive space

Using the ActiveRuby Setup Wizard

There are two ways to install ActiveRuby with the Setup Wizard:

  1. You can run the Setup Wizard and enter the required information to install the software.
  2. If you want to automate the installation, you can run the Setup Wizard from the command line.

Running the ActiveRuby Setup Wizard

When you install ActiveRuby, you should run the Setup Wizard as an Administrator.

  1. Download and save the .exe installation package.
  2. Right-click the .exe file and select Run As Administrator.
  3. Follow the prompts on screen to complete the installation.

Running the installation as an Administrator allows other users on the computer to use ActiveRuby, and ensures that all of ActiveRuby’s features function correctly.

Running the ActiveRuby Setup Wizard on the command line

You can install ActiveRuby from the command line. You should start the command prompt as an Administrator to ensure the the installation can complete successfully. ActiveRuby’s installer uses Windows Installer technology, which allows you to partially control the installation from the command line.

Starting the Setup Wizard

You can start the Setup Wizard from the command line, and walk through the installation steps in the user interface.

> ActiveRuby-<version>.exe

Logging the Setup Wizard output

If you want to enable logging you can add the appropriate command line switches to specify the level of logging and the log file location. The following command will generate a log of the install in install.log in the current directory.

> ActiveRuby-<version>.exe /L*v ./install.log

Specifying a custom installation directory

You can also specify a custom installation directory instead of using the default.

> ActiveRuby-<version>.exe APPDIR=C:\apps\Ruby

Complete command line installation example

You can combine command line options to complete your custom installation from the command line. For example, the following command will silently install ActiveRuby in C:\apps\Ruby.

> ActiveRuby-<version>.exe /qn+ APPDIR="C:\apps\Ruby" ^
     /L*v ./install.log

For more information about the command line installation options, contact support@activestate.com

Uninstalling ActiveRuby

The ActiveRuby for Windows can be uninstalled using the Modify, Repair or Uninstall ActiveRuby shortcut in the ActiveState ActiveRuby 2.3.4 program group in the Windows Start menu, or you can use Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

Alternatively, you use the Setup Wizard (.exe) file to uninstall ActiveRuby on the command line and write the progress to a log file:

c:\> ActiveRuby-<version>.exe /x // /L*v ./uninstall.log