Unable to access the response variable in RSpec request spec - ruby-on-rails

Question

I have this in my gemfile:
group :development, :test do
gem 'byebug'
gem 'rspec-rails', '~>3.0'
gem 'rspec-its'
gem 'factory_girl_rails'
gem 'json_spec'
gem "rspec_json_schema_matcher"
gem 'faker'
end
i have this request spec in spec/request/posts/show_spec.rb:
require 'rspec/its'
require 'spec_helper'
require 'rails_helper'
RSpec.describe 'GET /posts/:id', :type => :request do
let(:user) {create(:user)}
let(:guest) {create(:user, :as_guest)}
let(:post) {create(:post)}
let(:id) {post.id}
before(:each) {get "/posts/#{id}"}
context "when the post exists" do
expect(response).to have_http_status(:success)
end
context 'when a post is not found with the ID' do
let(:id) {-1}
expect(response).to have_http_status(:not_found)
end
end
when i run bundle exec rspec I get this error:
undefined local variable or method `response' for #<Class:0x00000002016470> (NameError)
What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

response is not available on an example group (e.g. a describe or context block). It is only available from within individual examples (e.g. it blocks) or from constructs that run in the scope of an example (e.g. before, let, etc). (RSpec::Core::ExampleGroup::WrongScopeError)
Change
context "when the post exists" do
expect(response).to have_http_status(:success)
end
to
context "when the post exists" do
it 'status code is 200'
expect(response).to have_http_status(:success)
end
end
Or, even shorter, seeing that you use its
context "when the post exists" do
its(:response) { is_expected.to have_http_status(:success) }
end
PS: you get the error above when you run your code as a controller spec. For some reason running it with the request type throws the way less descriptive error that you are getting.

Answer 2

Slightly piggybacking off the comments of the answer, but I have had these issues each time setting up a new environment. Even so, I have a list of rules I follow to track down such issues.
Here are the 3 things to check for when making sure you are getting the proper helpers for your tests:
If you are using the infer_spec_type_from_file_location! option to omit the need for the type metadata, make sure that your folder names are named or pluralized correctly, and that your spec files are in the correct folder for the functionality you wish to access.
If the problem exists where your have your spec in the correct folder, or if you are using the type metadata in your top-most describe block, you are missing a required module somewhere (like the OP missing the 'rspec/rails' in their rails_helper). Double check your rails/spec_helper files, and make sure that the rails_helper is being requires in your .rspec file or spec file.
Lastly, if you are missing functionality that comes from an included module that needs more than a require and that you see has been included, make sure that it is set to the correct spec type. e.g. Devise test modules that have the option to set the type (type: :controller)
a. If this is the case and you need one of these type-based includes to cover more than one spec type, include it again with the 2nd type set to its type, or remove the type entirely if you don't care about your test speeds.
I hope that helps someone figure out issues in the future.