#summary Downloading and installing Taskr
#labels Phase-Deploy

You can download the Taskr !RubyGem package or source code directly from the *[http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=4952 Taskr RubyForge downloads page]*. 

However, the preferred method is to install via the central !RubyGems repository, since this will automatically grab the required dependencies for you.

=== Installing via !RubyGems ===

  # Make sure that you have a [http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/downloads/ Ruby] interpreter installed. Version 1.8.6 or later is recommended. If you're on Windows, the quick and easy way to install Ruby is the [http://rubyforge.org/frs/download.php/27227/ruby186-26_rc2.exe One-Click Installer].
  # You will also need the !RubyGems package management system. Generally this is automatically installed for you along with the Ruby interpreter. To see if you have !RubyGems installed, open up a command prompt and type `gem`. If that doesn't work, you will need to [http://rubygems.org/read/chapter/3 install it manually].
  # Once !RubyGems is installed, you should be able to isntall Taskr by running the command: {{{gem install taskr}}}
  # Answer 'Yes' when asked about installing dependencies.


Taskr should now be installed. Try running `taskr` from your command line. Taskr needs to write some configuration files to `/etc` and by default it writes its logs to `/var/log/taskr.log`, so you will have to run the `taskr` command as root (i.e. `sudo taskr`). Try `taskr -h` if you need to store your configuration files elsewhere.

The first time you run it, Taskr will try to create a default configuration file for you in `/etc/taskr/config.yml` and it will then exit. Have a look inside this file and edit it to your needs. Taskr requires a SQL database, and configuration examples are provided for various database servers (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.). Before running the `taskr` command again, make sure that the database you've configured is ready to be used. For example, if you're using mysql, you'll have to create the database first:

{{{mysqladmin -u root -p create taskr}}}

Once you've configured everything and granted access to the database, run `taskr` again. It should start up this time and run in the foreground.

You can also use `taskr-ctl start` to start the server in the background. Also see HowToInstallAsaService.

Once it's up and running, your Taskr server should be accessible at http://localhost:7007/tasks (although this may differ if you've changed your configuration).

Have a look at at the BuiltInActionTypes page for some info on how to schedule a new job.

=== Installing Manually ===

The !RubyGem method describe above is preferred, but if you insist...

  # Make sure you have a [http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/downloads/ Ruby] interpreter installed. Version 1.8.6 or later is recommended.
  # Download the dependencies. You will need (at least):
    * [http://rubyforge.org/projects/activesupport ActiveSupport]
    * [http://rubyforge.org/projects/picnic Picnic]
    * [http://rubyforge.org/projects/reststop Reststop]
    * [http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=2609&release_id=16488 OpenWFEru Scheduler]
  # Install the dependencies as per their individual install instructions. If for some insane reason you're trying to avoid !RubyGems, the general procedure is to install the libraries somewhere in Ruby's include path (for example `/usr/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8` on some Linux systems).
  # Download the Taskr source archive from [http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=4952 Taskr RubyForge downloads page].
  # Untar it and `cd` into the uncompressed directory.
  # Run {{{ruby setup.rb}}}.

Taskr should now be installed. See the postamble in the _Installing via !RubyGems _ section above for further instructions.

=== Obtaining the Source Code ===

Taskr is written in a interpreted language (Ruby), so there really isn't a difference between the runable distribution and the "source code" (i.e. the RubyGem and tar packages include all of the source code).

However, if you want to grab a copy of the latest development source code, have a look at Taskr's [http://code.google.com/p/ruby-taskr/source Subversion repository].