# Test that a string is not displayed in view

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/test-that-a-string-is-not-displayed-in-view/182353>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 26, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/test-that-a-string-is-not-displayed-in-view/182353 "2010-01-26T23:28:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Learn_by_D)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/test-that-a-string-is-not-displayed-in-view/182353/1 "2010-01-26T23:28:03Z")

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How can I test that a view does not display a particular string any  
where?

E.g., the particular string is “I should not be here”. In my  
controller test, I have:

assert\_select “div”, /I should not be here/, false

but this does not work. It fails although I don’t have that string in  
the view. Also, I am testing against “div” blocks for now but what  
I’d like to test is against the whole view.

Thanks,

Vincent.

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**Author:** ![Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Learn_by_D)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/test-that-a-string-is-not-displayed-in-view/182353/2 "2010-01-26T23:46:14Z")

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Learn by Doing wrote:

> How can I test that a view does not display a particular string any  
> where?
> 
> E.g., the particular string is “I should not be here”. In my  
> controller test, I have:
> 
> assert\_select “div”, /I should not be here/, false
> 
> but this does not work.

Are you sure you have the correct syntax?

> It fails although I don’t have that string in  
> the view. Also, I am testing against “div” blocks for now but what  
> I’d like to test is against the whole view.

You can match against the whole response.

Note, however, that you should probably be doing most of your view  
testing with Cucumber, and that RSpec is much better to work with than  
Test::Unit.

> Thanks,
> 
> Vincent.

## Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser  
[http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org)  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Learn_by_D)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/test-that-a-string-is-not-displayed-in-view/182353/3 "2010-01-27T00:56:28Z")

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Thanks Marnen, I would love to use cucumber but cucumber is not  
working for me. Please see my other question regarding this issue:  
[http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk/browse\_thread/thread/90bbeee1d56da466#](http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk/browse_thread/thread/90bbeee1d56da466#)

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Learn_by_D)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/test-that-a-string-is-not-displayed-in-view/182353/4 "2010-01-27T01:54:07Z")

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Learn by Doing wrote:

> Thanks Marnen, I would love to use cucumber but cucumber is not  
> working for me.

Then get it working! It’s essential.

> Please see my other question regarding this issue:  
> [http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk/browse\_thread/thread/90bbeee1d56da466#](http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk/browse_thread/thread/90bbeee1d56da466#)

I will look.

> Thanks.

## Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser  
[http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org)  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@Learn\_by\_D](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Learn_by_D)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 10:02am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/test-that-a-string-is-not-displayed-in-view/182353/5 "2010-01-27T10:02:30Z")

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2010/1/26 Vincent P [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):

> How can I test that a view does not display a particular string any  
> where?
> 
> E.g., the particular string is “I should not be here”. In my  
> controller test, I have:
> 
> assert\_select “div”, /I should not be here/, false

assert\_select “div”, {:text =\> /I should not be here/, :count =\> 0}

Just use “body” to check the whole view

Colin