Start IRB Session

Launch an interactive Ruby session with the project context loaded.

Arguments

The user may provide:

• No argument: Start IRB with project files loaded
• File path: Load a specific file before starting
• Expression: Evaluate an expression and show the result

Execution Strategy

Basic IRB Session

# With bundler context
bundle exec irb

# With project files
bundle exec irb -r ./lib/project_name

Load Specific File

bundle exec irb -r ./path/to/file.rb

Evaluate Expression

ruby -e "puts [1,2,3].map { |n| n * 2 }.inspect"

With Pry (if available)

Check if Pry is installed and prefer it for better debugging:

# Check for Pry
bundle info pry 2>/dev/null && bundle exec pry || bundle exec irb

Context Loading

Before starting the session:

1. Check for common entry points:

   • lib/<project_name>.rb
   • config/environment.rb (Rails-like)
   • Gemfile (ensure bundler context)

2. Suggest useful requires based on project:

   require 'bundler/setup'
   require 'your_gem'
   

Helpful Tips

Suggest these IRB features when relevant:

# Show methods on an object
obj.methods.grep(/pattern/)

# Show source location
method(:method_name).source_location

# Pretty print
require 'pp'
pp complex_object

# Reload a file
load './lib/file.rb'

Examples

/ruby:irb                           # Start basic session
/ruby:irb lib/my_gem.rb             # Load specific file
/ruby:irb "[1,2,3].sum"             # Evaluate expression