# Second question on using RSpec for a simple Rails 2.0 app **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [June 29, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/second-question-on-using-rspec-for-a-simple-rails-2-0-app/141713 "2008-06-29T23:19:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/RichardOnRails)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/second-question-on-using-rspec-for-a-simple-rails-2-0-app/141713/1 "2008-06-29T23:19:11Z")
Hi, I’ve got a Rails 2.0 app “AIMS\_1” with one model, “Portfolio”. (I’m following David C.’s 2007 tutorial at [http://blog.davidchelimsky.net/articles/2007/05/14/an-introduction-to-rspec-part-i](http://blog.davidchelimsky.net/articles/2007/05/14/an-introduction-to-rspec-part-i)). Portfolio has two attributes: :symbol and :name. With great help from this NG, I’ve got a neat set of validations for :symbol. I want to put together a script that will test the validations as part of a suite of tests to confirm the app’s validity as I expand it. For this purpose, I added a Q&A directory (actually, “\_\_QA”) under AIMS\_1 and populated it with the following portfolio\_spec.rb file: # portfolio\_spec.rb # K:\_Projects\Ruby\_Rails\_Apps\AIMS\_1\_\_QA require ‘rubygems’ require ‘spec’ require ‘spec/story’ require ‘K:/\_Utilities/ruby186-26\_rc2/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/ activerecord-2.0.2/lib/ActiveRecord’ require ‘…/app/models/portfolio’ describe Portfolio do it “should report any invalid :stock entries” do pf = Portfolio.new end end When I run “spec portfolio\_spec.rb” in a Command window I get the diagnostic: ActiveRecord::ConnectionNotEstablished in ‘Portfolio should report any invalid :stock entries’. I expected some error because I’m creating a Portfolio instance outside the AIMS\_1 framework generated by Rails. I have no idea how to address this issue. I’m running ruby 1.8.6, Rails 2.0.2 and SciTE 1.74 over WinXP/SP2. Any ideas? Thanks in Advance, Richard ---
**Author:** ![RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/RichardOnRails)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/second-question-on-using-rspec-for-a-simple-rails-2-0-app/141713/2 "2008-06-30T01:57:51Z")
RichardOnRails wrote: > When I run spec portfolio\_spec.rb in a Command window I get the > diagnostic: > > ActiveRecord::ConnectionNotEstablished in ‘Portfolio should report any > invalid :stock entries’. > > I expected some error because I’m creating a Portfolio instance > outside the AIMS\_1 framework generated by Rails. I have no idea how > to address this issue. > > I’m running ruby 1.8.6, Rails 2.0.2 and SciTE 1.74 over WinXP/SP2. > > Any ideas? > > Thanks in Advance, > Richard Are you using the Rspec-Rails plugin? Cos that should absorb a lot of this capacity for error. (looks like you just want to require “…/…/config/environment” or something to fix it, so you load rails, rather than just active\_record) but… > **[GitHub - dchelimsky/rspec-rails: RSpec extension library for Ruby on Rails](https://github.com/dchelimsky/rspec-rails/tree/master)** > > master install it as a plugin (maybe install rspec as a plugin in the same way else it seems to choke if your rspec and rspec-rails versions are different) then run “ruby script/generate rspec” (don’t ask me why this isnt a rake task “spec:setup”… but it isn’t) and you should have a basic spec\_helper in place. then try creating a new model “ruby script/generate rspec\_model Furbie name:string age:integer” and it should get you a new spec in spec/models/furbie\_spec.rb which should work, and then make your existing code work the same way… see what went wrong the first time… Regards Matthew R. (recommend me on WorkingWithRails [http://workingwithrails.com/person/12394-matthew-rudy-jacobs](http://workingwithrails.com/person/12394-matthew-rudy-jacobs)) ---
**Author:** ![RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/RichardOnRails)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/second-question-on-using-rspec-for-a-simple-rails-2-0-app/141713/3 "2008-06-30T17:32:38Z")
Hi Matthew, Thank you very much for your excellent help. First the good news: Your suggestion about requiring the configuration was spot on! So I’m a happy camper and will indeed make the post you requested at the end of your response. While I plan to continue using the rspec gem for this current project, I’m very interested in using the two plug-ins you recommended on future projects. However, I wasn’t able to get rspec plug-in to install. Below are the steps I took to: 1. Get the rspec-rails plug-in installed 2. When that failed, try a different plug-in to show plug-in installation is working, generally. I hope you can decipher my current error. Your unraveling my last error was neat! Best wishes, Richard [snip]\AIMS\_1\>gem uninstall rspec [OK] [snip]\AIMS\_1\>ruby script/plugin discover [OK, but showed no dchelimsky] [snip]\AIMS\_1\>ruby script/plugin source [dchelimsky (David Chelimsky) · GitHub](http://github.com/dchelimsky/) [OK] [snip]\AIMS\_1\>ruby script/plugin install rspec-rails Plugin not found: [“rspec-rails”] [snip]\AIMS\_1\>ruby script/plugin sources [http://dev.rubyonrails.com/svn/rails/plugins/](http://dev.rubyonrails.com/svn/rails/plugins/) > **[dchelimsky - Overview](https://github.com/dchelimsky/)** > > dchelimsky has 109 repositories available. Follow their code on GitHub. [http://svn.6brand.com/projects/plugins/](http://svn.6brand.com/projects/plugins/) [snip]\ AIMS\_1\>ruby script/plugin install simple\_pages - ./CHANGELOG - ./README - ./Rakefile - ./app/controllers/simple\_pages\_controller.rb - ./app/helpers/simple\_pages\_helper.rb - ./app/models/simple\_page.rb [snip] On Jun 29, 7:57 pm, Matthew R. Jacobs \ **Author:** ![RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/RichardOnRails)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/second-question-on-using-rspec-for-a-simple-rails-2-0-app/141713/4 "2008-07-01T15:44:59Z") On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 10:32 AM, RichardOnRails [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > project, I’m very interested in using the two plug-ins you > recommended on future projects. However, I wasn’t able to get rspec > plug-in to install. Check out [Home · dchelimsky/rspec-rails Wiki · GitHub](http://github.com/dchelimsky/rspec-rails/wikis). Cheers, David ---
**Author:** ![RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/RichardOnRails)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/second-question-on-using-rspec-for-a-simple-rails-2-0-app/141713/5 "2008-06-30T17:37:15Z")
I have Rspec frozen in the plugins folder, so I know its the exact same version as the Rspec-Rails I’m using. Thought you might be able to freeze it by doing a “script/plugin install”, but clearly not. But if its working for you, then don’t worry. Enjoy some spec-ing. Matthew R. RichardOnRails wrote: > Hi Matthew, > > Thank you very much for your excellent help. > > First the good news: Your suggestion about requiring the configuration > was spot on! So I�m a happy camper and will indeed make the post you > requested at the end of your response. ---
**Author:** ![RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RichardOnRails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/RichardOnRails)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/second-question-on-using-rspec-for-a-simple-rails-2-0-app/141713/6 "2008-07-03T19:40:17Z")
Hi David, Thanks for that source. I’ll try your plug-ins after the Fourth. Best wishes, Richard