Shoulda/RSpec: Make sure that validation message "xxx" is on :base

Question

I'm still pretty confused about what is magic behind stuff like it { should have(1).error_on(:base) } and what's a specific Shoulda matcher.

I'd like to make sure that :base contains the error message "xxx", so how should I do this?

it "should contain error message 'xxx'" do
  contact.valid?
  contact.errors[:base].should include('xxx')
end

Is this "the way to go", or is there a better one? Thanks.

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 12 '12 at 17:33

5

Right, it's looking good. Inline rspec tests are using subject. You could rewrite your test like this:

describe 'my method' do
  before { contact.valid? }

  context 'contact is not valid' do
    subject { contact.errors[:base] }
    it { should include 'xxx' }
  end
end

The should method is called on the subject. It can be more readable sometimes. And you don't have to write descriptions for specs that are self-explanatory ;-)

answered Jul 12 '12 at 17:33

Renra

5,561
3
15
17

Thanks for the hint with subject and before filters. – Joshua Muheim Jul 12 '12 at 20:19
More concise: it { subject.errors[:base].should include 'xxx' } – scarver2 Oct 24 '13 at 22:35
.error[:whatever] now returns an array, so include doesn't work unless you are matching the entire string. – Xavier Jul 29 '16 at 16:17

Shoulda/RSpec: Make sure that validation message "xxx" is on :base

1 Answers1

Linked