Adding a runtime dependency to run gems in your gem

If you are having trouble getting a gem to run in your own gem here is a quick troubleshooting guide.

Is the gem you want to use showing up in your Gemfile.lock? Your Gemfile.lock file will display gems that are being called by your Gemfile and your_gem.gemspec. If the gem you want to use is not being shown here we will need to get it to show up here.

First, check your Gemfile to see if the gem you want to be used has been put in this file.

Second, check your gem.gemspec to add_runtime_dependency

Gem::Version.new(Gem::VERSION) >= Gem::Version.new('1.2.0') then
      s.add_runtime_dependency(%q<gem_name>.freeze, [">= 0"])
end

The your_gem.gemspec file is pretty much a readme for your gem, here is more info about gemspecs.

Third, make sure to require "gem_name" in the file you want to use the gem.

This should allow you to use another gem in your gem.