# Autotest and rspec always tests everything **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 2, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/autotest-and-rspec-always-tests-everything/124834 "2008-01-02T23:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/autotest-and-rspec-always-tests-everything/124834/1 "2008-01-02T23:55:09Z")
Is there a way to limit autotest to just what is saved? I have a small app that as four models/controllers. and testing was fast but testing everything. I added Restful-Authentication and it tested fine. Now whenever I save a change to one of my custom controllers, everything is tested including the authentication and it now takes a long time. I always thought that AutoTest was only to test things that changed. I am not sure if it is now just the diff that is taking all the time, but the number of test it reports each time is very high compared to the controller I am working on. Any ideas? Don F. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/autotest-and-rspec-always-tests-everything/124834/2 "2008-01-03T19:15:29Z")
On Jan 2, 2008 8:54 PM, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > the controller I am working on. > I believe that this is the way autotest is designed. It only runs a > limited sense when there is a failure, but as soon as that failure is > passing it runs the whole suite. This is the behaviour I would expect - otherwise I have no way of knowing if changes I make to get one example passing have any unexpected side effects on other examples. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/autotest-and-rspec-always-tests-everything/124834/3 "2008-01-03T20:57:40Z")
So then if something fails, it should just run that test each time until it passes. Once it passes, everything is run. Does “Pending” or “not implemented yet” have an impact? I have several “it” statements that are pending. Does that cause it to run everything or only only when the go between failure and pass Don F. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/autotest-and-rspec-always-tests-everything/124834/4 "2008-01-03T21:23:45Z")
On Jan 3, 2008 5:57 PM, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > So then if something fails, it should just run that test each time > until it passes. Once it passes, everything is run. > > Does “Pending” or “not implemented yet” have an impact? I have > several “it” statements that are pending. Does that cause it to run > everything or only only when the go between failure and pass No relation to autotest. The only thing rspec adds to autotest is the mappings of what spec files go w/ what code. Autotest only cares about pass/fail. Pending is, as far as autotest is concerned, passing. HTH. Cheers, David