Testing Models without fixtures

Testing RSpec
1

Hi,

I would like to test a sorting method that is in the user model, it’s
a class method called search.
What I would like to do is create 2 users and load the test database
with just those 2 users, so that I can call
User.search(“john”) and it would return those two users.

Not sure how to clear the test database and populate it just with
these 2 users for that specific spec.

Thanks in advance!

Rai

2

On Nov 20, 2007 6:57 AM, Raimond G. [email protected] wrote:

Hi,

I would like to test a sorting method that is in the user model, it’s
a class method called search.
What I would like to do is create 2 users and load the test database
with just those 2 users, so that I can call
User.search(“john”) and it would return those two users.

Not sure how to clear the test database and populate it just with
these 2 users for that specific spec.

User.delete_all
User.create!(:name => “John”)
User.create!(:name => “George”)

3

Wow,

Thanks Dave, that worked :slight_smile:
I had tried before deleting all users and creating a couple of new
ones, was wondering why it didn’t work.
The problem was that I was using the create method instead of create!,
thus, my users where silently being validated and not saved, as I was
missing the password parameters and the such.

Thanks again!
Keep up the great work with rSpec!

Rai

4

You may want to create a factory method to create users with valid
parameters, overriding any parameters by passing in options.

ALPHA = (‘a’…‘z’).to_a + (‘A’…‘Z’).to_a

def random_text
txt = “”
10.times do
txt << ALPHA[rand(52)]
end
txt # maybe a returning block? can’t remember if that works here
end

def create_user(options={})
User.create!({ :name => random_text,
:password => random_text}.merge(options))
end

Nathan S.
[email protected]
rspec edge revision 2910
rspec_on_rails edge revision 2909
rails edge revision 8167

5

On Nov 20, 2007 10:20 AM, David C. [email protected] wrote:

    end
    txt # maybe a returning block?  can't remember if that works here

end

def create_user(options={})
User.create!({ :name => random_text,
:password => random_text}.merge(options))
end

There are also tools that will do this for you: Exemplar,
ModelStubbing to name two.

Actually - those are geared towards avoiding the DB. What you’d want
is Scenarios and FixtureScenarios (and others similar).

6

On Nov 20, 2007, at 11:20 AM, David C. wrote:

    txt = ""

(options))
end

There are also tools that will do this for you: Exemplar,
ModelStubbing to name two.

Actually - those are geared towards avoiding the DB. What you’d want
is Scenarios and FixtureScenarios (and others similar).

How about giving FixtureReplacement some love?

Scott

7

Err, Scenarios

Nathan S.
[email protected]
rspec edge revision 2910
rspec_on_rails edge revision 2909
rails edge revision 8167

8

On Nov 20, 2007 10:18 AM, Nathan S. [email protected] wrote:

    txt # maybe a returning block?  can't remember if that works here

end

def create_user(options={})
User.create!({ :name => random_text,
:password => random_text}.merge(options))
end

There are also tools that will do this for you: Exemplar,
ModelStubbing to name two.

9

Hi guys,

Thanks for the help, will check out Exemplar and ModelStubbing, for
the moment this screencast about FixtureReplacement looks very useful.

http://railsnewbie.com/files/fixture_replacement_demo.mov

Rai

10

Ok, if you want to do it messy and uninformed, do it my way. :wink:

I’ve heard of Fixture Scenarios but I heard they were broken with edge
rspec, but I’ll check out Exemplar, ModelStubbing, and
FixtureReplacement.

Nathan S.
[email protected]
rspec edge revision 2910
rspec_on_rails edge revision 2909
rails edge revision 8167