Load and evaluate gists

github_require.rb

def gitget(uri)

  # We look for very specific links within the page like:
  # <a href="/raw/383785/5bcefcae03bbc40d6ce40591d93f278585e47950/example.rb">raw</a>
  raw_uri_pattern = /\<a href="(.+)"\>raw\<\/a\>/

  begin
    # Load the referenced gist
    gist_html = open(uri).read
  
    # Match the HTML against the given pattern and load each
    # referenced raw file.  The formatted source would need
    # a bunch of parsing to make it useful so we just fetch
    # each raw file instead.
    file_names = gist_html.scan(raw_uri_pattern).map.map do |match|
      
      # Extract the first grouping of the match
      file_name = match.first
      
      # The path is relative, we make it absolute
      raw_uri = "http://gist.github.com#{file_name}"
      
      # This seems exceptionally dangerous...
      src = open(raw_uri).read
      Kernel::eval(src.untaint)
      
      # Keep track of files we load...
      file_name
    end
  
    return "Eval'd #{file_names.join(', ')}"
    
  rescue Exception => e
  
    # Or report generic unhelpful failure
    puts "Could not load the gist."
    puts e.to_s
  end

end

For example:

gitget 'http://gist.github.com/383785'
localhost()