Proxy associantion on controllers

Testing RSpec
1

Hello, I’m trying learn Rspec but having problems to understand when and
how
user mocks and stubs.
I have a properties_controller with to before_filter actions
(check_administrator_role e load_user)… to access index action of
properties_controller I need have a params[:user] and this parameter
will be
used to load ther user in method load_user …

Like bellow:

before_filter :check_administrator_role
before_filter :load_user

GET /properties

def index
@properties = @user.properties
end

private
def load_user
@user = User.find(params[:user_id])
if @user.nil?
flash[:notice] = “Registro não encontrado”
redirect_to root_path
end
end

But I don’t know how test index and load_user without fixtures, take a
look
on my specs:

describe PropertiesController do

def mock_property(stubs={})
@mock_property ||= mock_model(Property, stubs)
end

before do
@current_user = mock_model(User, :id => 1)
controller.stub!(:check_administrator_role).and_return(true)
@user = mock_model(User, :id=>1)
controller.stub!(:load_user).and_return(@user)
end

describe “responding to GET index” do

it "should expose all properties of given user as @properties" do
  @user.should_receive(:properties).and_return([mock_property])
  get :index
  assigns[:properties].should == [mock_property]
end

end

But I having this error:

NoMethodError in ‘PropertiesController responding to GET index should
expose
all properties of given user as @properties’
You have a nil object when you didn’t expect it!
The error occurred while evaluating nil.properties
/Users/daniellopes/Trabalhos/luvima/luvima/app/controllers/properties_controller.rb:8:in
`index’
./spec/controllers/properties_controller_spec.rb:21:

So, how is the right way to mock associated records?

Thanks.

Atenciosamente,

Daniel L.  Area Criações
Design, Websites e Sistemas Web

Visite: http://www.areacriacoes.com.br/projects
http://blog.areacriacoes.com.br/

55 (31) 3077-4560 / 55 (31) 8808-8748 / 55 (31) 8737-7501

2

try:

#@user = User.find(params[:user_id])
User.stub(:find).with(xx).and_return(@user)

3

On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 7:58 AM, Newman H. [email protected]
wrote:

try:

#@user = User.find(params[:user_id])
User.stub(:find).with(xx).and_return(@user)

Please quote enough of the email to which you are responding to
provide enough context so that those of us who read email on our
phones can understand.

Cheers,
David

4

Daniel L. wrote:

Thanks Newman, I already try this but get strange error:

before do
@current_user = mock_model(User, :id => 1)
controller.stub!(:check_administrator_role).and_return(true)
User.stub(:find).with(1).and_return(@user) # <=<=<=<=<=<=

Looks like a missing ‘!’:

User.stub!(:find).with(1).and_return(@user) # <=<=<=<=<=<=

–
Joseph W.

5

On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 8:07 AM, Daniel L. [email protected]
wrote:

Thanks Newman, I already try this but get strange error:
before do
@current_user = mock_model(User, :id => 1)
controller.stub!(:check_administrator_role).and_return(true)
User.stub(:find).with(1).and_return(@user) # <=<=<=<=<=<=

It’s stub!, not stub :slight_smile:

Cheers,
David

6

Thanks Newman, I already try this but get strange error:
before do
@current_user = mock_model(User, :id => 1)
controller.stub!(:check_administrator_role).and_return(true)
User.stub(:find).with(1).and_return(@user) # <=<=<=<=<=<=
end

The error:
undefined method `stub’ for #Class:0x23a5f3c

Atenciosamente,

Daniel L.  Area Criações
Design, Websites e Sistemas Web

Visite: http://www.areacriacoes.com.br/projects
http://blog.areacriacoes.com.br/

55 (31) 3077-4560 / 55 (31) 8808-8748 / 55 (31) 8737-7501

7

Thanks for help and sorry for insistance but I don’t understand aspects
on
rspec ( I think not understand how we use mocks and stubs):
The behavior of my controller is…
Before Filter:
check_administrator_role
load_user

So, in this case I want run my before filter methods in before block on
rspec, like below:

describe PropertiesController do
def mock_property(stubs={})
@mock_property ||= mock_model(Property, stubs)
end

before do
@current_user = mock_model(User, :id => 1) <== define a
current_user
with id 1
controller.stub!(:check_administrator_role).and_return(true) <== and
current_user is administrator
@params = {:user_id=>1} <== define params
User.stub!(:find).with(@params[:user_id]).and_return(@user) <== and
now
try fetch the user with id 1
end

This line will define @user variable, right?
User.stub!(:find).with(@params[:user_id]).and_return(@user)
But I don’t need mock the @user variable to fill it with valid values
(
like user_id, name, email and etc ) ?

I think @user content is nil and get errors from will_paginate find
method
for this reason.

describe “responding to GET index” do

it "should expose all properties of given user as @properties" do
  @user.should_receive(:properties).and_return([mock_property])
  get :index
  assigns[:properties].should == [mock_property]
end

end

thanks.

Atenciosamente,

Daniel L.  Area Criações
Design, Websites e Sistemas Web

Visite: http://www.areacriacoes.com.br/projects
http://blog.areacriacoes.com.br/

55 (31) 3077-4560 / 55 (31) 8808-8748 / 55 (31) 8737-7501

8

Thanks a lot Nick…
No, i’m not using Authlogic because already have base project with
restful_authentication implemented with activation, roles and etc… and
when I look authlogic the project was young, I don’t know now.

About Martin F. post, I already readed… but the problem is because
I
know the diference between mocks and stubs ( mocks really call the
method
and it fail return a error, and stubs only return the result without
check
real method, right? ) but I don’t know how use it in RSpec…

I’m starting understand now in this post ( my idea is copy this thread
and
translate to portuguese to help more people)… My doubt about mock and
stubs is when I write this:

@user = mock_model User => create mock object based on User and put in
@user.

but when I write the code below, the method User.name will not be called
in
this moment, but will be called when User class try to call name and
will
return ‘Bob’ no matter what the real name method does… is this?
@user.stub!(:name).and_return(‘Bob’)

About my previous code… I mocked User in instance variable @user but I
have will_paginate installed and this bring a strange error when I try:
@user.sohuld_receive(:properties).and_return([mock_property])

The error is:

NoMethodError in ‘PropertiesController responding to GET index should
expose
all properties of given user as @properties’
undefined method find' for #<Class:0x23a0f64> /Users/daniellopes/Trabalhos/luvima/luvima/vendor/gems/mislav-will_paginate-2.3.6/lib/will_paginate/finder.rb:167:in method_missing’
/Users/daniellopes/Trabalhos/luvima/luvima/app/controllers/properties_controller.rb:61:in
`load_user’
./spec/controllers/properties_controller_spec.rb:20:
spec/controllers/sessions_controller_spec.rb:102:

My spec code is:

describe PropertiesController do

def mock_property(stubs={})
@mock_property ||= mock_model(Property, stubs)
end

before :each do
@current_user = mock_model(User, :id => 1)
controller.stub!(:check_administrator_role).and_return(true)
User.stub!(:find).and_return(@user)
end

describe “responding to GET index” do

it "should expose all properties of given user as @properties" do
  @user.should_receive(:properties).and_return([mock_property])
  get :index
  assigns[:properties].should == [mock_property]
end

end

And my controller code where error refer is:

private
def load_user
@user = User.find(params[:user_id])
if @user.nil?
flash[:notice] = “Registro não encontrado”
redirect_to root_path
end
end

Atenciosamente,

Daniel L.  Area Criações
Design, Websites e Sistemas Web

Visite: http://www.areacriacoes.com.br/projects
http://blog.areacriacoes.com.br/

55 (31) 3077-4560 / 55 (31) 8808-8748 / 55 (31) 8737-7501

9

On 2008-12-05, at 10:06, Daniel L. wrote:

Thanks for help and sorry for insistance but I don’t understand
aspects on rspec ( I think not understand how we use mocks and stubs):

Hi Daniel. If you’re a bit unsure about when to use mocks vs stubs,
have a read of this article by Martin F.:

The short version of that article is:
-You mock objects: @photo = mock_model Photo
-You stub methods: @photo.stub!(:height).and_return(123)

The behavior of my controller is…
Before Filter:
check_administrator_role
load_user

Are you using Authlogic?

So, in this case I want run my before filter methods in before block
on rspec, like below:

Nope! =) before-filters are called when a controller action is
called; they aren’t called in your specs’ “before” blocks.

@params = {:user_id=>1}  <== define params
User.stub!(:find).with(@params[:user_id]).and_return(@user) <==

and now try fetch the user with id 1
end

Keep in mind that it’s
before :each do
or
before :all do

This line will define @user variable, right?
User.stub!(:find).with(@params[:user_id]).and_return(@user)

That line above tells the User class to return @user when #find is
called on it with the argument @params[:user_id] .

You don’t need to create a “params” variable. Eg:

before :each do
@user = mock_model User
controller.stub!(:check_administrator_role).and_return(true)
User.stub!(:find).and_return @user
end

But I don’t need mock the @user variable to fill it with valid
values ( like user_id, name, email and etc ) ?

If you want those methods, you’d stub them on @user, like this:
@user = mock_model User, :name => ‘Bob’
or like this:
@user = mock_model User

…some other code here…

@user.stub!(:name).with(no_args).and_return(‘Bob’)

describe “responding to GET index” do
it “should expose all properties of given user as @properties” do
@user.should_receive(:properties).and_return([mock_property])
get :index
assigns[:properties].should == [mock_property]
end
end

That looks about right.
-Nick

10

Ashley M. gave me help in another post that I open by accident when
entries in the group, and now spec passed… But I still would like to
understand more about mocks and stubs that I asked in previous email.

Thanks again and sorry many emails.

Atenciosamente,

Daniel L.  Area Criações
Design, Websites e Sistemas Web

Visite: http://www.areacriacoes.com.br/projects
http://blog.areacriacoes.com.br/

55 (31) 3077-4560 / 55 (31) 8808-8748 / 55 (31) 8737-7501

11

On 5 Dec 2008, at 20:31, Daniel L. wrote:

Ashley M. gave me help in another post that I open by accident
when entries in the group, and now spec passed… But I still would
like to understand more about mocks and stubs that I asked in
previous email.

Yes I just noticed I re-answered a question that was solved hours ago :slight_smile:

Ashley

–
http://www.patchspace.co.uk/