RSpec Coder

Core Philosophy

• AAA Pattern: Arrange-Act-Assert structure for clarity
• Behavior over Implementation: Test what code does, not how
• Isolation: Tests should be independent
• Descriptive Names: Blocks should clearly explain behavior
• Coverage: Test happy paths AND edge cases
• Fast Tests: Minimize database operations
• Fixtures: Use fixtures for common data setup
• Shoulda Matchers: Use for validations and associations

Critical Conventions

❌ Don't Add require 'rails_helper'

RSpec imports via .rspec config. Adding manually is redundant.

# ✅ GOOD - no require needed
RSpec.describe User do
  # ...
end

❌ Don't Add Redundant Spec Type

RSpec infers type from file location automatically.

# ✅ GOOD - type inferred from spec/models/ location
RSpec.describe User do
  # ...
end

✅ Use Namespace WITHOUT Leading ::

# ✅ GOOD - no leading double colons
RSpec.describe DynamicsGp::ERPSynchronizer do
  # ...
end

Test Organization

File Structure

• spec/models/ - Model unit tests
• spec/services/ - Service object tests
• spec/controllers/ - Controller tests
• spec/requests/ - Request specs (API testing)
• spec/mailers/ - Mailer tests
• spec/jobs/ - Background job tests
• spec/fixtures/ - Test data
• spec/support/ - Helper modules and shared examples
• spec/rails_helper.rb - Rails-specific configuration

Using describe and context

RSpec.describe OrderProcessor do
  describe "#process" do
    context "with valid payment" do
      # success tests
    end

    context "with invalid payment" do
      # failure tests
    end
  end
end

Subject and Let

See [references/patterns.md](references/patterns.md) for detailed examples.

RSpec.describe User do
  describe "#full_name" do
    subject(:full_name) { user.full_name }
    let(:user) { users(:alice) }

    it { is_expected.to eq("Alice Smith") }
  end
end

Fixtures

See [references/patterns.md](references/patterns.md) for detailed examples.

# spec/fixtures/users.yml
alice:
  name: Alice Smith
  email: [email protected]
  admin: false

RSpec.describe User do
  fixtures :users

  it "validates email" do
    expect(users(:alice)).to be_valid
  end
end

Mocking and Stubbing

See [references/patterns.md](references/patterns.md) for detailed examples.

# Stubbing external service
allow(PaymentGateway).to receive(:charge).and_return(true)

# Verifying method called
expect(UserMailer).to receive(:welcome_email).with(user)

Matchers Quick Reference

See [references/matchers.md](references/matchers.md) for complete reference.

Essential Matchers

# Equality
expect(value).to eq(expected)

# Truthiness
expect(obj).to be_valid
expect(obj).to be_truthy

# Change
expect { action }.to change { obj.status }.to("completed")
expect { action }.to change(Model, :count).by(1)

# Errors
expect { action }.to raise_error(SomeError)

# Collections
expect(array).to include(item)
expect(array).to be_empty

Shoulda Matchers

# Validations
it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:name) }
it { is_expected.to validate_uniqueness_of(:email) }

# Associations
it { is_expected.to have_many(:posts) }
it { is_expected.to belong_to(:account) }

AAA Pattern

Structure all tests as Arrange-Act-Assert:

describe "#process_refund" do
  subject(:process_refund) { processor.process_refund }

  let(:order) { orders(:completed_order) }
  let(:processor) { described_class.new(order) }

  it "updates order status" do
    process_refund  # Act
    expect(order.reload.status).to eq("refunded")  # Assert
  end

  it "credits user account" do
    expect { process_refund }  # Act
      .to change { order.user.reload.account_balance }  # Assert
      .by(order.total)
  end
end

Test Coverage Standards

What to Test

Coverage Example

RSpec.describe User do
  fixtures :users

  describe "validations" do
    subject(:user) { users(:valid_user) }

    it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:name) }
    it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:email) }
    it { is_expected.to validate_uniqueness_of(:email).case_insensitive }
  end

  describe "associations" do
    it { is_expected.to have_many(:posts).dependent(:destroy) }
  end

  describe "#full_name" do
    subject(:full_name) { user.full_name }
    let(:user) { User.new(first_name: "Alice", last_name: "Smith") }

    it { is_expected.to eq("Alice Smith") }

    context "when last name is missing" do
      let(:user) { User.new(first_name: "Alice") }
      it { is_expected.to eq("Alice") }
    end
  end
end

Anti-Patterns

See [references/anti-patterns.md](references/anti-patterns.md) for detailed examples.

Best Practices Checklist

Critical Conventions:

• NOT adding require 'rails_helper'
• NOT adding redundant spec type
• Using namespace WITHOUT leading ::

Test Organization:

• describe for methods/classes
• context for conditions
• Max 3 levels nesting

Test Data:

• Using fixtures (not factories)
• Using let for lazy data
• Using subject for method under test

Assertions:

• Shoulda matchers for validations
• Shoulda matchers for associations
• change matcher for state changes

Coverage:

• Happy path tested
• Sad path tested
• Edge cases covered

Quick Reference

# Minimal spec file
RSpec.describe User do
  fixtures :users

  describe "#full_name" do
    subject(:full_name) { user.full_name }
    let(:user) { users(:alice) }

    it { is_expected.to eq("Alice Smith") }
  end

  describe "validations" do
    subject(:user) { users(:alice) }

    it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:name) }
    it { is_expected.to have_many(:posts) }
  end
end