# Unit testing XML REST **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [February 13, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382 "2007-02-13T02:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/durexlw)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382/1 "2007-02-13T02:39:48Z")
How are people testing REST webservices that require you to POST xml data? Are you using the post and get shortcuts in your tests, or net::http? With the post shortcut is there any way to specify you want to send xml instead of regular old parameters? I tried this in one of my controller tests for creating a thing post :create, {:title =\> “cool”}, {‘Content-Type’ =\> ‘application/ xml’} puts @request.env.to\_xml puts @response.headers.to\_xml And sadly the request env didn’t include Content-Type. It only has: 0.0.0.0 /events?title=cool 80 POST So I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong with sending headers. And also I’d like to specify some xml to send instead of URL params. According to the rdocs post takes these parameters: path, parameters, headers Thanks! Andy ---
**Author:** ![durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/durexlw)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382/2 "2007-02-13T03:06:58Z")
you can set these: @request.env[‘Content-Type’] = ‘application/xml’ @request.env[“HTTP\_ACCEPT”] = ‘application/xml’ as for posting XML, I just use the to\_xml methods, but it’s not as slick as I’d like it to be either. anyone else? ed ---
**Author:** ![durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/durexlw)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382/3 "2007-02-13T03:09:58Z")
On 2/12/07, Ed Hickey [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > you can set these: > @request.env[‘Content-Type’] = ‘application/xml’ > @request.env[“HTTP\_ACCEPT”] = ‘application/xml’ :format =\> :xml. Much easier 🙂 > as for posting XML, I just use the to\_xml methods, but it’s not as slick as > I’d like it to be either. I use integration tests to post XML. Functional tests bypass the param parsers IIRC. – Rick O. [http://weblog.techno-weenie.net](http://weblog.techno-weenie.net) [http://mephistoblog.com](http://mephistoblog.com) ---
**Author:** ![durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/durexlw)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382/4 "2007-02-13T03:25:59Z")
Can you elaborate on how you’re using to\_xml to post the data? What do you put as the name on that value? post :create, {“RAW\_POST\_DATA” =\> things.to\_xml} , :format =\> :xml ---
**Author:** ![durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/durexlw)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382/5 "2007-02-16T21:07:06Z")
On 2/16/07, Ed Hickey [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > I use integration tests to post XML. Functional tests bypass the > > param parsers IIRC. > > Would you mind posting or linking to a snippet of an intergration test that > posts/puts XML? I’ve been messing with it for awhile and can’t get the > rails to parse the XML into a params hash. It works if I pass a hash, but > not an XML string. sess.post ‘/foos.xml’, Foo.new(…).to\_xml, :content\_type =\> ‘application/xml’ – Rick O. [http://weblog.techno-weenie.net](http://weblog.techno-weenie.net) [http://mephistoblog.com](http://mephistoblog.com) ---
**Author:** ![durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/durexlw)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382/6 "2007-02-16T20:39:53Z")
> I use integration tests to post XML. Functional tests bypass the > param parsers IIRC. Would you mind posting or linking to a snippet of an intergration test that posts/puts XML? I’ve been messing with it for awhile and can’t get the rails to parse the XML into a params hash. It works if I pass a hash, but not an XML string. thanks, ed ---
**Author:** ![durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@durexlw](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/durexlw)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unit-testing-xml-rest/85382/7 "2007-02-16T21:48:11Z")
it seems like that only works for get and post…or am i missing something? eg: > > headers = {:content\_type=\>“application/xml”, :http\_authorization=\>“Basic > > cXVlbnRpbjp0ZXM0\n”} > > > get ‘/campaigns/1.xml’, {}, headers > > =\> 200 > > > post ‘/campaigns.xml’, {:name =\> “test 123”}.to\_xml(:root =\> “campaign”), > > headers > > =\> 201 > > > put ‘/campaigns/1.xml’, {:name =\> “test 123”}.to\_xml(:root =\> > > “campaign”), headers > > NoMethodError: undefined method `recycle!' for # from /var/www/rails/config/../vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/cgi_process.rb:139:in`method\_missing’ > > from > > /var/www/rails/config/…/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/test\_process.rb:370:in > > `process' from /var/www/rails/config/../vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/test_process.rb:353:in`put’ > > from (irb):8:in `test_test' from test/integration/api_test.rb:40:in`test\_test’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testcase.rb:70:in `run' from /var/www/rails/config/../vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/integration.rb:453:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:32:in `run' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:31:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:32:in `run' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:31:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/testrunnermediator.rb:44:in > > `run_suite' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/console/testrunner.rb:65:in`start\_mediator’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/console/testrunner.rb:39:in > > `start' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/testrunnerutilities.rb:27:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/autorunner.rb:200:in `run' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/autorunner.rb:13:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit.rb:285 > > delete ‘/campaigns/1.xml’, {}, headers > > NoMethodError: undefined method `recycle!' for # from /var/www/rails/config/../vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/cgi_process.rb:139:in`method\_missing’ > > from > > /var/www/rails/config/…/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/test\_process.rb:370:in > > `process' from /var/www/rails/config/../vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/test_process.rb:353:in`delete’ > > from (irb):10:in `test_test' from test/integration/api_test.rb:40:in`test\_test’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testcase.rb:70:in `run' from /var/www/rails/config/../vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/integration.rb:453:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:32:in `run' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:31:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:32:in `run' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/testsuite.rb:31:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/testrunnermediator.rb:44:in > > `run_suite' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/console/testrunner.rb:65:in`start\_mediator’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/console/testrunner.rb:39:in > > `start' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/ui/testrunnerutilities.rb:27:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/autorunner.rb:200:in `run' from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit/autorunner.rb:13:in`run’ > > from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/test/unit.rb:285 > > from test/integration/api\_test.rb:106 ed