Installing mysql gem on MAC OS + XAMPP + Rails 2.3

If you are on a MAC, using the easygoing XAMPP and need that rails app to get up and running using MySQL, then read on.

So Rails 2 does not come with the mysql gem installed.

You run:

gem install mysql

and to your shock you get:

ERROR:  Error installing mysql:
ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.

And in your log you see:

no such file to load -- mysql

Before you do anything, make sure you download the “developer package” from XAMPP website.

Then in your terminal run this command:

sudo env ARCHFLAGS="-arch i386" gem install mysql -- --with-mysql-dir=/Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/lib/mysql --with-mysql-lib=/Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/lib/mysql/ --with-mysql-include=/Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/include/mysql/

And finally, it worked!