s6577t · January 31, 2012 23:34 · Jan 31, 2012 · Jan 31, 2012
diff --git a/gistfile1.txt → gistfile1.rb b/gistfile1.txt → gistfile1.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-
 # Here is a normal set of specs...
 
 describe 'some normal rspec' do

diff --git a/gistfile1.txt b/gistfile1.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+
+# Here is a normal set of specs...
+
+describe 'some normal rspec' do
+
+  describe 'doing something with a Product and Users' do
+
+    before :each do
+      # setup etc
+
+      # preconditions could go here
+      User.count.should be > 5
+      Product.all.any?{|p| p.discontinued?}.should be true
+    end
+
+    def dispatch
+      @result = do_something with: [Product, User]
+    end
+
+    it 'should have called something' do
+      # assertions before the fact without spies :(
+      Api.should_receive(:some_message)
+      dispatch
+    end
+
+    it 'uses an implicit return value when calling should' do
+      dispatch.should == :returned_result_from_act
+    end
+
+    context 'doing that something with special options' do
+
+      # runs the preconditions fom the outer describe and the following
+      before :each do
+        # more preconditions
+      end
+
+      def dispatch
+        do_something with: [Product, User], some_special_option: true
+      end
+
+      it 'behaves differently somehow' do
+        dispatch.should == :something_else
+      end
+
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+# Here is how I would LIKE to write them ...
+
+describe 'my rspec fantasy feature spies and some new api' do
+
+  describe 'doing something with a Product and Users' do
+
+    before :each do
+      # setup etc
+    end
+
+    # these would run before all specs
+    preconditions do
+      precondition 'five users' { User.count.should be > 5 }
+      precondition 'a discontinued product' { Product.all.any?{|p| p.discontinued?}.should be true }
+    end
+
+    act { do_something with: [Product, User] }
+
+    it 'should have called something' do
+      # assertions AFTER the fact
+      Api.should have_received(:some_message)
+    end
+
+    it 'uses an implicit return value when calling should' do
+      should == :returned_result_from_act
+    end
+
+    context 'doing that something with special options' do
+
+      # runs the preconditions fom the outer describe and the following
+      preconditions do
+        preconditions 'etc' { }
+      end
+
+      # this act overrides the act in the outer describe block
+      act { do_something with: [Product, User], some_special_option: true }
+
+      it 'behaves differently somehow' do
+        should == :something_else
+      end
+
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+# Here's why:
+#
+# I like to use test spies rather than mock-expectations because then I can stay consistent with the xunit pattern
+#
+# * Arrange
+# * Act
+# * Assert
+#
+# This means that I can separate the different concerns in writing my specs and introduce preconditions:
+#
+# * Arrange the environment
+# * Assert preconditions
+# * Act
+# * Assert postconditions
+#
+# Preconditions mean that the test runner can avoid unnecessarily running specs with failing preconditions and best of all, it means I can get rspec --doc output like this:
+#
+# my rspec fantasy
+#   doing something with a Product and Users
+#     precondition failed: 'five users'
+#
+# When this failure occurs I know exactly why my specs have not been run and what to do next to fix the suite. with
+#
+# it also provides a way to separate and DRY the ACT
+# * it calls can be simple one-liners and only have one concern: assertion
+# * the act can be defined ONCE and run implicitly
+#
+# this also means that I can start sketching out my specs by just writing the assertions and preconditions and worry about the arrange and act details later in the BDD process.
+#
+#
+# Each syntax yields roughly the same number of lines in this small example. Larger examples may lead to fewer lines of code as a result of being DRYed up.
+#
+# Overall the benefits would be
+# * clearer more consistently structured specs and...
+# * better spec output leading to...
+# * more maintainable spec suites
+#
Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
		@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@

		# Here is a normal set of specs...

		describe 'some normal rspec' do