[Rails] Re: How to test the layout of a controller?

> >> > Alright. Here's one roadblock.
> >> > So what I understand w/BDD is that I should write all these tests,
> >> > watch them fail, and then code to make the tests pass.
>
> >> No. Write *one* test, watch it fail, make it pass, refactor as
> >> necessary. Then write the next test. Lather, rinse, repeat.
>
> > Does this apply to all tests - unit, functional, etc?  I got my unit
> > tests working, but my functionals are not.
>
> Yes.  One test at a time on each level.  Also, Test::Unit functionals
> are needlessly painful.  Use Cucumber instead.

Okay. Shoulda / Test::Unit in functional tests are painful... I'll
get back to you on Cucumber.

> My usual procedure:
> Write a Cucumber story for functionality, watch it fail.
> Figure out the first thing I need to do to implement that functionality,
> write a unit spec in RSpec, watch it fail, make it pass.
> Do next unit spec likewise.
> When Cucumber story passes, feature is complete. Write another story.

Instead of RSpec, is it okay to use Shoulda (with Cucumber, I mean)?
All I see, including in the Rails 3 installation instructions here...
https://github.com/aslakhellesoy/cucumber-rails/blob/master/README.rdoc
... are instructions involving RSpec only. :/ Bleh.

Should I get acquainted with RSpec?
Actually, can't Shoulda and RSpec work together?
There's got to be some down-to-earth tutorial about all this...

> >> > But the error
> >> > messages I get from running tests don't provide as much insight as
> >> > doing "rails server" and then seeing whatever error comes up... I
> >> > don't understand how people do this.
>
> >> Probably by writing more atomic tests. Could you give an example test
> >> that wasn't as useful as you would have liked?
>
> > Sure.  Navigating to a sections#show page yields a screen that says
> > "NoMethodError in SectionsController#show
> > undefined method `paginate' for #<Class:0x5eb4ad0>"
> > so I immediately realize I need to check wherever I call paginate and
> > see if the method is implemented.
>
> > Running the functional test
> > ruby -I test test/functional/sections_controller_test.rb
> > Only yields this:
> >   1) Error:
> > test: A section should respond with 200.
>
> "A section"?  Which one?  Make your descriptions more explicit.
>
> > (SectionsControllerTest):
> > NoMethodError: undefined method `response_code' for nil:NilClass
>
> > This doesn't mean anything to me.
>
> How can that not mean anything to you, when it's telling you exactly
> what the error is?

All this error tells me is that something that is nil is trying to
call response_code. The error I get with rails server and browsing to
the page is
undefined method `paginate' for #<Class:0x5eb4ad0>" which tells me
that I have to check out the paginate method - something much more
direct/useful!!!

> >  (In my test, I had should
> > respond_with :success.)
>
> You can step through with the debugger to see where it fails.
>
> Also, RSpec and Cucumber have better error reporting than Test::Unit.

ohhh I hope so.

So from here, I'll try to get Cucumber working for my functional
tests... Is cucumber ONLY for functionals, or integration/others too?
I have shoulda working for unit tests...

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