Spec for a rails helper that renders a partial template

Testing RSpec
1

So the stock answer to this is “don’t do it”. But I’m in a situation
where it’s really what I want to do to test what I want to test.

a helper method:

def some_helper
render(:partial => “some/partial”, :locals => {:some => some}
end

or even:

def some_helper
content = “”
some_loop.each do |something|
content << render(:partial => “some/partial”, :locals =>
{:something => something}
end
end

Is there any way to write a spec where I can test this kind of helper,
and it really will render it’s partial(s), and I can really write specs
against the return strings?

Any way at all? I’ve been trying for a while with no success. Thanks for
any advice.

Jonathan

2

On Jul 13, 2010, at 5:43 PM, Jonathan R. wrote:

against the return strings?

Any way at all? I’ve been trying for a while with no success. Thanks for
any advice.

RSpec version?

3

David C. wrote:

On Jul 13, 2010, at 5:43 PM, Jonathan R. wrote:

against the return strings?

Any way at all? I’ve been trying for a while with no success. Thanks for
any advice.

RSpec version?

Good point. Rails2, rspec 1.3.0. Thanks.

4

On Jul 13, 2010, at 6:05 PM, Jonathan R. wrote:

Good point. Rails2, rspec 1.3.0. Thanks.

Do you know about integrate_views?

http://rspec.info/rails/writing/controllers.html

5

On Jul 13, 2010, at 6:59 PM, Jonathan R. wrote:

spec. If I actually set it up as a helper spec… I don’t seem to get
“integrate_views”, if I try to call it I get a method missing exception.

Can I set it up as a controller spec, but then somehow still spec a
helper method, rather than a controller? I thought of that, and tried
to do it, but couldn’t quite figure out how to do that. Any advice?

I don’t think there’s a good way to do that in RSpec-1. In RSpec-2,
however, you should be able to do this in a regular helper spec.

HTH,
David

6

David C. wrote:

I don’t think there’s a good way to do that in RSpec-1. In RSpec-2,
however, you should be able to do this in a regular helper spec.

Okay, thanks. Can’t wait until I get my app migrated to Rails3, glad
that Rspec has improved in flexibility in a great many ways, it appears,
in Rspec2/Rails3.

7

David C. wrote:

On Jul 13, 2010, at 6:05 PM, Jonathan R. wrote:

Do you know about integrate_views?

http://rspec.info/rails/writing/controllers.html

I read about it in my quest through the documentation for a solution.

This isn’t actually a controller spec I’m trying to write, it’s a helper
spec. If I actually set it up as a helper spec… I don’t seem to get
“integrate_views”, if I try to call it I get a method missing exception.

Can I set it up as a controller spec, but then somehow still spec a
helper method, rather than a controller? I thought of that, and tried
to do it, but couldn’t quite figure out how to do that. Any advice?

Jonathan