Why is the test DB not wiped upon entering a test case?

Rails
1

Hello Group.

I might be misunderstanding, but this does not make sense to me at all.

The reason there is a test database in the first place is that it gives
you a reliable state at the beginning of each
TestCase/test/context/spec. To me, this implies that when I do not load
fixtures at all, I get an empty DB (this IS a boundary condition, and I
have to test it).

Also between different model’s tests, the DB is never cleaned, given I
have no fixtures statements.

How can I ensure I have a DB that is clean except for the structure in
a TestCase/test/context/spec? Model.delete_all in the setup method?
What if I need my fixtures later in the test case? Model.delete_all in
the test methods themselves? Another test case? This all looks like
workarounds to me.

I’d be happy to be proven wrong, but this does look like a design error
to me. Wouldn’t it be more concise to just wipe the test DB upon
entering a TestCase/context?

Regards,
Timm Gebhart

P.S.: This is my first post to this group. I am a web developer from
Germany, and found RoR to be a perfect match for me about 3 months ago.
So please excuse my ignorance and grammar errors.

2

I believe you need to implement the setup and teardown methods in a test
case. Otherwise the tests don’t clear out the database. Those methods
should
be automatically called before and after a test case.

Here’s an absolutely fabulous blog post that lists testing resources.