Create and run your first Ruby project
This tutorial will show you how to create and run the simple interactive Ruby program in IntelliJ IDEA.
Before starting this tutorial, download and install the Ruby distribution for your platform.
We'll perform all steps using IntelliJ IDEA installed on macOS.
Create an empty application
To create a Ruby program from scratch, do the following:
Run IntelliJ IDEA and click New Project on the Welcome Screen.
In the New Project dialog, select New Project on the left pane. Then, specify the following details:
Name: specify the project name.
Location: specify the path to the directory in which you want to create the project. By default, the IDE creates a directory with the same name as the project.
Create Git repository: check if you want to create a new Git repository for your project sources.
Language: select Ruby from the provided options. If you don't see the Ruby option, make sure you have the Ruby plugin installed.
Ruby SDK: select the required Ruby interpreter installed on your system.
Add sample code: check if you want to add a sample Ruby file to your project.
Click Create to continue.
Create a Ruby file
After creating a project, you will see its structure in the Project tool window on the left. To add a Ruby file, do the following:
Select a project root in the Project tool window and press Alt+Insert.
In the invoked popup, select Ruby File/Class and press Enter.
In the invoked popup, specify a script name (script in our case) and click OK.
In the editor, insert the following code:
puts "Please enter your name" name = gets.chomp puts "Hello, #{name}! I'm Ruby!"
Run an application
To run the created script, do the following:
Press Control twice and type the following command:
ruby script.rbPress Enter.
In the Run tool window, type any name and press Enter to see a program's response.