# 0 errors with 'autotest' BUT 30 errors with 'rake test:units **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 26, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/0-errors-with-autotest-but-30-errors-with-rake-test-units/83531 "2007-01-26T23:38:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aravet](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@aravet](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/aravet)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/0-errors-with-autotest-but-30-errors-with-rake-test-units/83531/1 "2007-01-26T23:38:23Z")
Hi group, My test suites don’t behave by the book. I’ve been scratching my head for hours in vain. I hope you can help me solve this mystery. 1/ With autotest, and 2/ when run manually, class by class they all pass BUT 3/ With ‘rake test:units’ + transactional fixture =\> 25 errors 4/ With ‘rake test:units’ withouth transactional fixture =\> 33 errors (not 25) ``` 130 tests, 232 assertions, 3 failures, 25 errors ``` and 130 tests, 220 assertions, 4 failures, 33 errors AND IN BOTH CASEs (autotest + rake) 5/ tables/models are not empty when they should (in the setup methods), even when I use no fixtures. ==\> this setup code fails ``` def setup assert_equal 0, Production.count end ``` 6/ I get 2 dozens warnings like: ./test/unit/lib/grid\_calendar/…/…/…/test\_helper.rb:101: warning: already initialized constant CANT\_BE\_BLANK Any idea? I’m lost. - I use Edge Rails + simply\_bdd (and a dozen other plugins) - All the tables are InnoDB (transactional), and I work with MySql4 - Locomotive). - I can’t tell when this started happening, as I’ve been using autotest for weeks. TIA Alain ---
**Author:** ![aravet](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@aravet](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/aravet)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/0-errors-with-autotest-but-30-errors-with-rake-test-units/83531/2 "2007-01-27T21:44:28Z")
[Solved] or rather [Worked around] (but 2 mysteries remain) > What’s rake test:recent do? Bingo: that’s the sleuthing tool I needed # Debriefing : So, the problem was: some code - was working fine in the application - was working fine in tests when run by ‘autotest’ - was working fine in tests when run by ‘ruby test/units/…rb’ , but - was failing in tests when run through ‘rake test’ Thanks to "rake test:recent " and touching (saving) test classes 1 by 1, I was able to single-out the problematic code: class Genre \< ActiveRecord::Base … MUSIC = find\_by\_name(‘music’) \<\<\< ---- RAKED TESTS DON’T LIKE THIS (all they get is a nil) … end # Mystery 1: for some reason, AR-based constants work fine, except when run through rake tests. Why on earth ?? # Mystery 2: > When you use no fixtures, nothing erases the existing data. Use > fixtures, and/or write setup code that zilches everything you > don’t > want to be there. Shouldn’t any table changes done in the setups and tests be rollbacked after each tests? Even though I use self.use\_transactional\_fixtures = true , and purge the tables before launching the test rake db:test:purge rake test:units this test fails: def setup end def test\_setup assert\_equal 0, Production.count \<\<------- TABLE IS NOT EMPTY end I still don’t understand this. ---
**Author:** ![aravet](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@aravet](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/aravet)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/0-errors-with-autotest-but-30-errors-with-rake-test-units/83531/3 "2007-01-26T23:49:24Z")
Alain R. wrote: > My test suites don’t behave by the book. I’ve been scratching my head > for hours in vain. I hope you can help me solve this mystery. You don’t have isolated test cases. Data from one test case is most likely leaking into the next one. > 1/ With autotest, and > 2/ when run manually, class by class What’s rake test:recent do? What’s ruby/test/functional/some\_controller\_test.rb do? When you get that far, use -n test\_my\_favorite\_test to run them one at a time. > they all pass > > BUT > > 3/ With ‘rake test:units’ + transactional fixture =\> 25 errors > 4/ With ‘rake test:units’ withouth transactional fixture =\> 33 errors (not 25) The unit tests might depend on the data left over from the functional tests in the last run. Try rake test:functional test:units > 5/ tables/models are not empty when they should (in the setup > methods), even when I use no fixtures. When you use no fixtures, nothing erases the existing data. Use fixtures, and/or write setup code that zilches everything you don’t want to be there. > ==\> this setup code fails > > def setup > assert\_equal 0, Production.count > end > 6/ I get 2 dozens warnings like: > ./test/unit/lib/grid\_calendar/…/…/…/test\_helper.rb:101: > warning: already initialized constant CANT\_BE\_BLANK That’s different. Autotest runs each test run within its own, single, Ruby context. This is a bad design decision (again due to test isolation concerns), and it should shell to a Ruby with a line like system(“rake test:recent”). But that’s an internal affair for Autotest, and I know what will happen if I try to discuss ZenTest with its authors… I think you can put unless defined? CANT\_BE\_BLANK after those lines… > - I can’t tell when this started happening, as I’ve been using > autotest for weeks. Oops. Always run the Grand-Wazoo Test before commits, and always use test:recent after edits in several areas to make sure their tests can mix-and-match. Read this; it has a link back to a simpler (stoopider) autotester that shells to ruby instead of keeps one in memory: [http://phlip.eblogs.com/growl-driven-development](http://phlip.eblogs.com/growl-driven-development) – Phlip [http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ZeekLand](http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ZeekLand) ← NOT a blog!!