Rails - Amazon aaws LoadError; .bash_profile snafu

I have been working with the Amazon aaws 0.8.1 gem, with direction from: http://www.jeffreyjason.com/2010/07/12/amazon-product-advertising-api-w-ruby/

First, I installed the gem by adding gem ruby-aaws in my gemfile, then bundle installing and it installed successfully.

Then I added the necessary information outlined in the article to my .amazonrcfile and saved it in my home directory.

Then I tried to run his sample script to make sure everything was ok:

require 'amazon/aws/search'

include Amazon::AWS include Amazon::AWS::Search

resp = Amazon::AWS.item_search( 'Baby', { 'Keywords' => 'pants',

'MinimumPrice' => '2500',

'MaximumPrice' => '4999' } )

items = resp.item_search_response.items.item

items.each { |item| puts item, '' }

And I get the error: 'require': no such file to load — amazon/aws/search (LoadError)

This seems to be a common enough error because he addresses it at the bottom of his tutorial by saying: solution: don’t forget to set RUBYOPT in your .bash_profile via: export RUBYOPT=rubygems

I tried searching for the .bash_profile file and couldn't find it. I made sure hidden files were shown, and still nothing. So I created one and added it into my home directory, but the problem still persists.

Most of the resources online address .bash_profile in Linux or Mac environments, but I am running a windows vista OS (and rails 3.0.7 for further clarity).

Any ideas on how to solve the .bash_profile conundrum and successfully connect to the amazon db's?

Thanks in advance!

.bash_profile is not on window's OS's, so trying to find the .bash_profile is a fool's errand. The real question is how to modify RUBYOPT on a windows system (which it seems the .bash_profile/.bashrc is used for on other OS's).

First, close down your ruby command line if its open, and go to the Start Menu, then the Control Panel -> System ->Advanced Settings/System Properties.

In the Properties section click the Advanced tab and click the environment variables button at the bottom right.

Under Environment Variables, create a new variable with the name "RUBYOPT" and the value "rubygems" then reopen your ruby command line.