When using command line -l, why do tests from other describe blocks run?

Testing RSpec
1

Hi,

I frequently use the -l option to run only tests of interest, but it’s
messy in a way I don’t understand…

describe SomeModel do

describe “#some_method” do

 it... # let's call this line 20

end

describe “#some_other_method” do

it... # here's some other test

end

end

If I enter ‘spec -l 20 spec/models/some_model_spec.rb’ on the command
line, I get my line 20 test and others – say the other test, above –
why?

Thanks,

Lille

2

Hi,

On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 02:32, Lille [email protected] wrote:

why?
I think that’s because line 20 is contained within another group (ie:
inside describe “#some_method” do), so all examples from this group
are run.

Try running your tests with -l 21 (ie: the first line contained within
the it of the test you want to run); that should run only that test.

Mike

3

Still can’t get consistent behavior with -l, consider the following…

test_spec.rb

describe SomeModule
it # special it
describe “some method of the module”
it… # ‘lonely it’
it… # ‘lonely it’
it… # ‘special it’
context…
it… # ‘context it’
…

(…where carets indicate nesting levels.)

So, when I enter -l [the line for ‘describe SomeModule’], the lines
commented ‘special it’ and all my ‘context it’ tests run but not lines
commented ‘lonely it’.

And when I enter -l [the line for ‘describe “some method of the
module”’] I get all the enclosed tests, except those in the context
block (and even some tests from another module tested below
SomeModule!)

When I run test_spec.rb, I get everything.

I’m trying to draw a takeaway from this, but all I can come up with
is: ‘If you use nested blocks in your RSpec tests, do not expect -l to
test everything in the block you’re targeting.’

Lille