wrong mock_model in rspec - ruby-on-rails

Question

Here is the rspec code for create in controller:
describe "'create' successful" do
before(:each) do
#customer = mock_model(Customer)
#customer.stub(:save).and_return(true)
session[:sales] = true
session[:user_id] = 1
session[:user_name] = "sales.name"
session[:page_step] = 1
session['page1'] = customers_path
end
it "should create one customer record" do
lambda do
put 'create', #customer
end.should change(Customer, :count).by(1)
end
it "should redirect to customers path" do
put 'create', #customer
flash[:notice].should_not be_nil
response.should redirect_to(customers_path)
end
end
Here is the create in controller:
def create
if session[:sales]
#customer = Customer.new(params[:customer], :as => :roles_new_update)
#customer.sales_id = session[:user_id]
if #customer.save
#message = "New customer #{params[:name]} was created. Please check it out"
#subject = "New customer #{params[:name]} was created BY {#session[:user_name]}"
UserMailer.notify_tl_dh_ch_ceo(#message, #subject, session[:user_id])
redirect_to session[('page' + session[:page_step].to_s).to_sym], :notice => 'Customer was created successfaully!'
else
render 'new', :notice => 'Customer was not saved!'
end
end
end
Here is the error in rspec:
1) CustomersController GET customer page 'create' successful should create one customer record
Failure/Error: put 'create', #customer
NoMethodError:
undefined method `symbolize_keys' for "1001":String
# ./spec/controllers/customers_controller_spec.rb:40:in `block (5 levels) in <top (required)>'
# ./spec/controllers/customers_controller_spec.rb:39:in `block (4 levels) in <top (required)>'
2) CustomersController GET customer page 'create' successful should redirect to customers path
Failure/Error: put 'create', #customer
NoMethodError:
undefined method `symbolize_keys' for "1002":String
# ./spec/controllers/customers_controller_spec.rb:45:i
The problem is with the mocking data of #customer. What's wrong with the mocking in spec?
Thanks.

Answer 1

There is nothing wrong, you simply have to make your model fetch the mock you've created.
Proceed this way:
#customer = mock_model(Customer)
#customer.stub(:save).and_return(true)
Customer.should_receive(:new).and_return(#customer)
Rereading your question I figured out that Rails could be complaining because when you pass a variable to your route, it should respond to to_param.
But your mock doesn't: it's nothing.
I'd say choose among the following:
use a Factory which is a real ActiveRecord object with the right properties
edit your test for something like put 'create', 1234 or any integer you want.
BTW, put triggers the update action which is not supposed to created objects but simply change them.