Grails splitting geb tests - grails

I am new to selenium tests in grails. I am using geb and spock for testing.
I want to split my test plans into some smaller test plans. I want to know if it's possible to make a spec which calls other specs?

What you should do it have a 'Spec' for each area of the application. If that area has more than one scenarios then include them in the 'Spec' that matches that area.
For Example.
LogInSpec
Has a log in scenario.
Form validation scenario.
Log out scenario.
This way things stay organized and its easy to see what sections of your application are failing.
If your goal is to run these in parallel then I recommend that you try and keep tests even across the different test classes. This way they all take around the same amount of time.

You can create traits for each of the modules ,
Exp: consider validations of entering details in form:
Name,Contact details and other comments
Create a trait which has methods to fill these details and verify after saving these details
Use this trait in your spec.
This will make your code more readable and clear

I found now another solution.
I make a simple groovy class:
class ReUseTest {
def myTest(def spec) {
when:
spec.at ConnectorsPage
then:
spec.btnNewConnector.click()
}
In my spec I can call this this like:
def "MyTest"() {
specs.reuseable.ReUseTest myTest = new specs.reuseable.ReUseTest()
specs.myTest(this)
}
I can now use this part in every spec.

Related

Why does Rubocop prefer `have_received` to `receive`?

I have tests of the form:
expect(ClassA).to receive(:method)
ClassB.perform
Rubocop would prefer if I refactored this to use have_received, which requires ClassA to be mocked. In other words, I need to set up:
allow(ClassA).to receive(:method)
ClassB.perform
expect(ClassA).not_to have_received(:method)
What's the point? Just following the Arrange Act Assert format?
Refactoring to used have_received allowed me to move a lot of the set-up into a before block, and put tests after the action following the Arrange Ace Assert format.
The code noticeably reads better.

How does Rspec 'let' helper work with ActiveRecord?

It said here https://www.relishapp.com/rspec/rspec-core/v/3-5/docs/helper-methods/let-and-let what variable defined by let is changing across examples.
I've made the same simple test as in the docs but with the AR model:
RSpec.describe Contact, type: :model do
let(:contact) { FactoryGirl.create(:contact) }
it "cached in the same example" do
a = contact
b = contact
expect(a).to eq(b)
expect(Contact.count).to eq(1)
end
it "not cached across examples" do
a = contact
expect(Contact.count).to eq(2)
end
end
First example passed, but second failed (expected 2, got 1). So contacts table is empty again before second example, inspite of docs.
I was using let and was sure it have the same value in each it block, and my test prove it. So suppose I misunderstand docs. Please explain.
P.S. I use DatabaseCleaner
P.P.S I turn it off. Nothing changed.
EDIT
I turned off DatabaseCleaner and transational fixtures and test pass.
As I can understand (new to programming), let is evaluated once for each it block. If I have three examples each calling on contact variable, my test db will grow to three records at the end (I've tested and so it does).
And for right test behevior I should use DatabaseCleaner.
P.S. I use DatabaseCleaner
That's why your database is empty in the second example. Has nothing to do with let.
The behaviour you have shown is the correct behaviour. No example should be dependant on another example in setting up the correct environment! If you did rely on caching then you are just asking for trouble later down the line.
The example in that document is just trying to prove a point about caching using global variables - it's a completely different scenario to unit testing a Rails application - it is not good practice to be reliant on previous examples to having set something up.
Lets, for example, assume you then write 10 other tests that follow on from this, all of which rely on the fact that the previous examples have created objects. Then at some point in the future you delete one of those examples ... BOOM! every test after that will suddenly fail.
Each test should be able to be tested in isolation from any other test!

Use RSpec let(:foo) across examples

I'm using let(:foo) { create_foo() } inside my tests. create_foo is a test helper that does some fairly time expensive setup.
So everytime a test is run, foo is created, and that takes some time. However, the foo object itself does not change, I just want to unit test methods on that object, one by one, seperated into single tests.
So, is there a RSpec equivalent of let to share the variable across multiple examples, but keep the nice things like lazy loading (if foo isn't needed) and also the automatic method definition of foo so that it can be used in shared examples, without referencing it with a #foo?
Or do I have to simply define a
def foo
create_foo()
end
Can you just put it in shared examples but use memoization?
def foo
#foo ||= create_foo()
end
Using let in this way goes against what it was designed for. You should consider using before_all which runs once per test group:
before :all do
#instancevar = create_object()
end
Keep in mind that this may not be wise if create_object() hits a database since it may introduce coupling and maintain state between your tests.

Rails –Testing named scopes: test scope results or scope configuration?

How should Rails named scopes be tested? Do you test the results returned from a scope, or that your query is configured correctly?
If I have a User class with an .admins method like:
class User < ActiveRecord::Base
def self.admins
where(admin: true)
end
end
I would probably spec to ensure I get the results I expect:
describe '.admins' do
let(:admin) { create(:user, admin: true) }
let(:non_admin) { create(:user, admin: false) }
let(:admins) { User.admins }
it 'returns admin users' do
expect(admins).to include(admin)
expect(admins).to_not include(non_admin)
end
end
I know that this incurs hits to the database, but I didn't really see any other choice if I wanted to test the scope's behaviour.
However, recently I've seen scopes being specced by confirming that they're configured correctly, rather than on the result set returned. For this example, something like:
describe '.admins' do
let(:query) { User.admins }
let(:filter) { query.where_values_hash.symbolize_keys }
let(:admin_filter) { { admin: true } }
it 'filters for admin users' do
expect(filter).to eq(admin_filter) # or some other similar assertion
end
end
Testing the direct innards of a query like this hadn't really occurred to me before, and on face value it is appealing to me since it doesn't touch the database, so no speed hit incurred.
However, it makes me uneasy because:
it's making a black-box test grey(er)
I have to make the assumption that because something is configured a certain way, I'll get the results that my business logic requires
The example I've used is so trivial that perhaps I'd be okay with just testing the configuration, but:
where do you draw the line and say 'the content of this named scope is too complex and requires result confirmation tests over and above just scope configuration testing'? Does that line even exist or should it?
Is there a legitimate/well-accepted/'best practice' (sorry) way to test named scopes without touching the database, or at least touching it minimally, or is it just unavoidable?
Do you use either of the above ways to test your scopes, or some other method entirely?
This question(s) is a bit similar to Testing named scopes with RSpec, but I couldn't seem to find answers/opinions about testing scope results vs scope configuration.
I think you have described the problem very well, and that the best answer, in my opinion is - it depends.
If your scope is trivial, run-of-the-mill where, with some order, etc. there is no real need to test ActiveRecord or the database to make sure they work properly - you can safely assume that they have been correctly implemented, and simply test the structure you expect.
If, on the other hand, your scope (or any query) is compound, or uses advanced features in a complex configuration, I believe that setting up tests that assert its behavior, by using a real live database (which is installed locally, with a small custom-tailored data set) can go a long way in assuring you that your code works.
It will also help you, if and when you decide to change strategies (use that cool new mysql feature, or porting to postgresql), to refactor safely, by checking that the functionality is robust.
This is a much better way than to simply verify the the SQL string is what you typed there...

What's the difference between mock, stub, and factory girl?

I'm pretty new to rspec and the whole TDD methodology. Can someone please explain the difference between mock and stub. When do we use them and when do we use Factory Girl to create objects in test cases?
You could think of a mock (or double) as a fake object. When you're testing and need to work with an object that isn't easily usable inside your test, you could use a mock as an approximation for how you expect that object to behave and work around it. Stubs can be used in a similar manner but on an individual method on an object.
Here's a rather contrived example of using a lot of both:
class Client
def connect_to_server
if Server.connect.status == 'bad'
show_an_error
else
do_something_else
end
end
def do_something_else; end
def show_an_error; end
end
context "failure" do
it "displays an error" do
bad_network_response = double("A bad response from some service", :status => 'bad')
Server.should_receive(:connect).and_return(bad_network_response)
client = Client.new
client.should_receive(:show_an_error)
client.connect_to_server
end
end
You can imagine that using a lot of mocks or stubbing is a bad idea; this is basically masking out parts of your code in your test but, it's an easy solution for some difficult/rare testing scenarios.
Factory Girl is useful for generating data for tests. You would use factories as recipes for creating instances for your models, you might need to test something involving a lot of test data and this would be a situation where using fixtures won't work and creating complicated objects explicitly can be tedious.
Your first stop is Martin Fowler's famous article : Mocks are not Stubs
Edit
Mocks and Stubs are two of the types of Test Doubles (Mezaros terminology). Test doubles are typically used to simulate the dependencies needed by a System Under Test (or Class Under Test), so that the SUT / CUT may be tested in isolation from its dependencies. (Caveat - precise terminology can be quite a touchy subject e.g. as mentioned by Jeff here)
From wikipedia:
"Test stubs provide canned answers"
"mock objects can simulate the behavior of complex, real objects"
Examples
A stub method may just return a constant value when called by the SUT, e.g. for conducting a specific test case of the SUT.
*Frameworks like Mockito (Java) and Moq (.Net) allow you to build mock classes against a dependency's interface on the fly with a minimum of code, and provide the ability to verify that the SUT interacted correctly with the mock, e.g. by checking that the SUT invoked the mock's methods the correct number of times, with the correct parameters.
* Disclaimer - I'm not a ruby dev

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