Rspec test case

Rails
1

I want test case in rspec for:
@drugs = Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id])

Has anybody idea about it?

2

On Oct 20, 2010, at 11:34 PM, Ishit Parikh wrote:

I want test case in rspec for:
@drugs = Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id])

Has anybody idea about it?

describe Drug
it “should really be posted to the rSpec Google Group :)”
it “would be helpful for you to read the Prag. Programmers rSpec book”

it “find Drugs if they exist” do
Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id]).should
have(1).record
end
end

3

Steve R. wrote in post #956143:

On Oct 20, 2010, at 11:34 PM, Ishit Parikh wrote:

I want test case in rspec for:
@drugs = Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id])

Assuming this line is in a controller action…

it “find Drugs if they exist” do
Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id]).should
have(1).record
end

The above is not how you want to write that spec.

Do something like this instead:

describe DrugsController do
it “assigns the drugs within a given category as @drugs” do
Drug.stub!(:where).with([ ‘drug_category_id = ?’, “37”
]).and_return([ mock_drug ])
get :search, :id => “37”
assigns[:drugs].should equal([ mock_drug ])
end

private
def mock_drug(stubs={})
@mock_drug ||= mock_model(Drug, stubs)
end
end

Note: I think the syntax for assigns has changed somewhat in RSpec 2.0
so you may want to read about that change. What I’ve shown here is RSpec
1.x syntax.

You don’t need to hit the database just to make sure your controller is
assigning the @drugs instance variable. Use a mock instead. You don’t
need to test the Rails “where()” method. Hopefully, that already has its
own tests in Rails. If it were broken, it doesn’t do you any good to
prove it’s broken in your application specs anyway.

4

Robert W. wrote in post #956169:

Steve R. wrote in post #956143:

On Oct 20, 2010, at 11:34 PM, Ishit Parikh wrote:

I want test case in rspec for:
@drugs = Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id])

Assuming this line is in a controller action…

…then you shouldn’t be writing RSpec specs for it at all. Use
Cucumber instead.

[…]

You don’t need to hit the database just to make sure your controller is
assigning the @drugs instance variable. Use a mock instead.

It’s usually easier and more reliable to use a factory. Yes, that hits
the DB. If you care that much, use an in-memory DB or something for
testing.

You don’t
need to test the Rails “where()” method. Hopefully, that already has its
own tests in Rails. If it were broken, it doesn’t do you any good to
prove it’s broken in your application specs anyway.

Yup! Test your use of the framework. Don’t test the framework itself.

Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser
http://www.marnen.org
[email protected]

5

Marnen Laibow-Koser wrote in post #956174:

Robert W. wrote in post #956169:

Steve R. wrote in post #956143:

On Oct 20, 2010, at 11:34 PM, Ishit Parikh wrote:

I want test case in rspec for:
@drugs = Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id])

Assuming this line is in a controller action…

…then you shouldn’t be writing RSpec specs for it at all. Use
Cucumber instead.

Agreed, but the OP asked about RSpec, so I showed an RSpec example.

[…]

You don’t need to hit the database just to make sure your controller is
assigning the @drugs instance variable. Use a mock instead.

It’s usually easier and more reliable to use a factory. Yes, that hits
the DB. If you care that much, use an in-memory DB or something for
testing.

Agreed, but was attempting to show “pure” RSpec rather than RSpec plus
something else. Also, as you said using mocks can take more setup, but
they can also provide a performance boost for specs that don’t actually
require hitting a database. I’ll have to put some more thought in to
using an in-memory database for testing. That’s intriguing.

6

Robert W. wrote in post #956180:

Marnen Laibow-Koser wrote in post #956174:

Robert W. wrote in post #956169:

Steve R. wrote in post #956143:

On Oct 20, 2010, at 11:34 PM, Ishit Parikh wrote:

I want test case in rspec for:
@drugs = Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id])

Assuming this line is in a controller action…

…then you shouldn’t be writing RSpec specs for it at all. Use
Cucumber instead.

Agreed, but the OP asked about RSpec, so I showed an RSpec example.

OK, fair enough.

[…]

Agreed, but was attempting to show “pure” RSpec rather than RSpec plus
something else. Also, as you said using mocks can take more setup,

Yeah, to the point where I think they’re more trouble than they’re
worth, and may actually be dangerous for AR models.

but
they can also provide a performance boost for specs that don’t actually
require hitting a database. I’ll have to put some more thought in to
using an in-memory database for testing. That’s intriguing.

The idea is not original with me (I’m not such a performance weenie that
I’d think of that myself :slight_smile: ). SQLite can operate in in-memory mode,
which I think is where the idea came from.

Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser
http://www.marnen.org
[email protected]

7

On Oct 21, 2010, at 1:48 PM, Robert W. wrote:

have(1).record
get :search, :id => “37”
so you may want to read about that change. What I’ve shown here is RSpec
1.x syntax.

You don’t need to hit the database just to make sure your controller is
assigning the @drugs instance variable. Use a mock instead. You don’t
need to test the Rails “where()” method. Hopefully, that already has its
own tests in Rails. If it were broken, it doesn’t do you any good to
prove it’s broken in your application specs anyway.

My point is, although everyone on this thread has made excellent
contributions, the question really belongs in the rSpec group. The OP’s
question was “I want a test case in rSpec for: @drugs =
Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id])” but doesn’t specify
what about that is to be tested. I don’t know the OP, but suspect that
the rSpec book would be a great introduction for designing tests that
make sense and add robustness. My response was, admittedly, a bit tongue
in cheek.

8

Ishit Parikh wrote in post #956228:

Do something like this instead:

describe DrugsController do
it “assigns the drugs within a given category as @drugs” do
Drug.stub!(:where).with([ ‘drug_category_id = ?’, “37”
]).and_return([ mock_drug ])
get :search, :id => “37”
assigns[:drugs].should equal([ mock_drug ])
end

private
def mock_drug(stubs={})
@mock_drug ||= mock_model(Drug, stubs)
end
end

The above code gives failure on:
get :search, :id => “37”
undefined method `abstract_class?’ for Object:Class

Well, I didn’t actually run that code. I just reworked a bit of working
code from one of my old projects. I’ll leave it as an exercise for you
to figure out what I did wrong.

9

All right.
Thanx for the help…

10

Robert W. wrote in post #956169:

Steve R. wrote in post #956143:

On Oct 20, 2010, at 11:34 PM, Ishit Parikh wrote:
it “find Drugs if they exist” do
Drug.where(‘drug_category_id = ?’, params[:id]).should
have(1).record
end

The above is not how you want to write that spec.

Do something like this instead:

describe DrugsController do
it “assigns the drugs within a given category as @drugs” do
Drug.stub!(:where).with([ ‘drug_category_id = ?’, “37”
]).and_return([ mock_drug ])
get :search, :id => “37”
assigns[:drugs].should equal([ mock_drug ])
end

private
def mock_drug(stubs={})
@mock_drug ||= mock_model(Drug, stubs)
end
end

The above code gives failure on:
get :search, :id => “37”
undefined method `abstract_class?’ for Object:Class