# Testing ... with console **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [February 21, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-with-console/86381 "2007-02-21T21:49:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/antonaylward)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-with-console/86381/1 "2007-02-21T21:49:20Z")
I’m still new leas than 40 hours with rails, and while I’ve been following the discussion about testing I’m still further back along the line, working my way though AWDwR and trying variations. ## One thing I noted is that functions - and I presume variables/accessors that are defined in app/controllers/application.rb will be available throughout the application. (Presumably, unless they are over-ridden) I’m just playing with this but its not doing what I expect. I’m defining some regular expressions as well as functions that use them @regex = { ‘upperalpha’ =\> /[A-Z]/, ‘loweralpha’ =\> /[a-z]/, ‘numeric’ =\> /[0-9]/ ‘upperalphanumeric’ =\> /[A-Z0-9]/, ‘loweralphanumeric’ =\> /[a-z0-9]/, ‘alphanumeric’ =\> /[A-Za-z0-9]/ } def isanumber?(string) /^#{@regex[‘numeric’]}$/o.match(name) end So, times comes to test this in a very basic way and I fire up the console, iterate through my typographic errors and … Well, I don’t seem be able to find @regex or isanumber? I tried adding read\_accessor, I tried accessing Application::regex all to no avail. I’ve tried putting the regex definition in an initializer. I know that the console script _is_ reading app/controllers/application.rb because it blew up on some of my typos! It here some special conditions about the console? I can access the database objects OK. – “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas A. Edison ---
**Author:** ![antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/antonaylward)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-with-console/86381/2 "2007-02-21T22:49:20Z")
Hi Anton, I’m by no means an expert but try this: in environment.rb REGEX = { ‘upperalpha’ =\> /[A-Z]/, ‘loweralpha’ =\> /[a-z]/, ‘numeric’ =\> /[0-9]/ ‘upperalphanumeric’ =\> /[A-Z0-9]/, ‘loweralphanumeric’ =\> /[a-z0-9]/, ‘alphanumeric’ =\> /[A-Za-z0-9]/ } ---
**Author:** ![antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/antonaylward)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-with-console/86381/3 "2007-02-22T01:12:11Z")
I have that in app/controllers/application.rb except for a) “regex” isn’t uppercase I understand from my Thomas/Hunt Ruy book that all uppercase names without a @ $ or @@ are constants. b) I was using “@regex” I was hoping to do things like define ``` upperalpahnumeric as the union of #{@regex['upperalpha']} and #{@regex['numeric']} or some such. ``` And why in “environment.rb” ?? Anyway: If in the console I define @regex then @regex[‘numeric’].match(“123”) does work. But only if I define it in the console. So I think the problem has to do with scope - somehow I’m not referring to what I defined in app/controllers/application.rb If putting it in environment.rb gives it ‘more scope’, then my problem becomes ``` How do I refer to things - including methods such as ``` ‘validnumber()’ that I define or declare in application.rb ? Adam G. said the following on 02/21/2007 04:49 PM: > ``` > 'upperalphanumeric' => /[A-Z0-9]/, > 'loweralphanumeric' => /[a-z0-9]/, > 'alphanumeric' => /[A-Za-z0-9]/ > > ``` > > } – If God does not write LisP, God writes some code so similar to LisP as to make no difference. ---
**Author:** ![antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/antonaylward)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-with-console/86381/4 "2007-02-22T15:41:43Z")
> Unrelated to your question but if you want readabilty in your regexps then > using posix character classes would serve the same intent. For example > your @regex[‘numeric’] would become /[[:digit:]]/ Ah. Good. Thank you. Where can I find details of that for Ruby? The on-line version of Thomas/Hunt’s “Programming Ruby” doesn’t mention the possible character classes. I also wonder about building, for example ``` @regex['alphanumeric'] ``` from @regex[‘numeric’], @regex[‘loweralpha’] and @regex[‘upperalpha’] Or the POSIX equivalent > Now methods defined in application.rb (ApplicationController) are only > available inside other controllers. If you want broader scoping you could > add to Object, or even better to new module/class or existing one > depending on your aesthetics. Ah. That explain why I can’t see them in console. I;d have to do… a = ApplicationController.new Or the controller or class they are defined in … a.regex[‘numeric’].match( possible\_number.to\_s ) Hmm. If I’m going to put them in a new class, then I can break down where they are defined and make them only locally relevant. But that gets back to being able to build regexs out of smaller regexes. – There is no use whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb himself. - Andrew Carnegie ---
**Author:** ![antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@antonaylward](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/antonaylward)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 10:19am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/testing-with-console/86381/5 "2007-02-22T10:19:57Z")
Anton A. wrote: > @regex = { > ‘upperalpha’ =\> /[A-Z]/, > ‘loweralpha’ =\> /[a-z]/, > ‘numeric’ =\> /[0-9]/ > ‘upperalphanumeric’ =\> /[A-Z0-9]/, > ‘loweralphanumeric’ =\> /[a-z0-9]/, > ‘alphanumeric’ =\> /[A-Za-z0-9]/ > } Unrelated to your question but if you want readabilty in your regexps then using posix character classes would serve the same intent. For example your @regex[‘numeric’] would become /[[:digit:]]/ Now methods defined in application.rb (ApplicationController) are only available inside other controllers. If you want broader scoping you could add to Object, or even better to new module/class or existing one depending on your aesthetics. Zsombor – Company - [http://primalgrasp.com](http://primalgrasp.com) Thoughts - [http://deezsombor.blogspot.com](http://deezsombor.blogspot.com)