# Code works in console but fails test?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/code-works-in-console-but-fails-test/111095>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [August 2, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/code-works-in-console-but-fails-test/111095 "2007-08-02T16:35:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/brianspaid)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/code-works-in-console-but-fails-test/111095/1 "2007-08-02T16:35:16Z")

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So I have message model and each user has many messages. When I run  
user.messages in the console it returns correctly, however in the test  
it returns and empty collection? Any thoughts. All the sql is being  
generate correctly, I checked the log. Here’s a pastie with the code  
in question.

[http://pastie.caboo.se/84337](http://pastie.caboo.se/84337)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/brianspaid)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/code-works-in-console-but-fails-test/111095/2 "2007-08-02T16:43:18Z")

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Hi, please post the exact statement that you’re typing in the console.  
-Conrad

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/brianspaid)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/code-works-in-console-but-fails-test/111095/3 "2007-08-02T17:06:24Z")

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u = User.find :first  
then

u.messages.size  
the output is three

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@brianspaid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/brianspaid)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/code-works-in-console-but-fails-test/111095/4 "2007-08-03T04:17:50Z")

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tests are run against the test database, so it will be empty unless  
you create some messages for your user in fixtures or otherwise.