Include Rspec examples with variable

Question

I have a few sets of rspecs that all include some shared examples. I would like those shared examples to then include other shared examples, if the original spec had some variable set. Basically this is what I'm trying to do.

Example:

File: spec/test_spec.rb

describe 'some thing' do
  let(:some_feature) { true }

  describe 'some tests' do
    include_examples "shared_tests" 
  end
end

File spec/shared/shared_tests.rb

shared_examples_for "shared_tests" do
  include_examples "feature_specific_tests" if some_feature
end

As expected, this is throwing an error like this:

undefined local variable or method `some_feature`

Is there a way to do this? I thought perhaps I could define @some_feature in a before(:all) block and then use if @some_feature in the shared_examples, but that is always nil.

Richard Jordan · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-23 02:56:23Z

3

Rewriting the answer to make it a little clearer:

You had this:

File: spec/test_spec.rb

describe 'some thing' do
  let(:some_feature) { true }

  describe 'some tests' do
    include_examples "shared_tests" 
  end
end

File spec/shared/shared_tests.rb

shared_examples_for "shared_tests" do
  include_examples "feature_specific_tests" if some_feature
end

Change it to:

File: spec/test_spec.rb

describe 'some thing' do

  describe 'some tests' do
    include_examples "shared_tests" do
      let(:some_feature) { true }
    end
  end
end

File spec/shared/shared_tests.rb

shared_examples "shared_tests" do
  if some_feature
    it_should_behave_like "feature_specific_tests"
  end

  # rest of your tests for shared example group
  # 'a logged in registered user goes here
end

And it'll all work nicely :-)

edited Mar 23, 2013 at 2:56

answered Mar 23, 2013 at 2:09

Richard Jordan

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9 Comments

Eugene Over a year ago

Ok, this makes sense. The question is more like how to only use it_should_behave_like "some tests" if some_feature as the variable is outside of its scope

Richard Jordan Over a year ago

right - see the bottom code block - just shift your let(:some_feature) line down from where you had it into a block you feed your first shared examples call... compare the block I put at the bottom to your original block up top. You're just effectively passing a truthy value through to the shared example set, in a block, which will then be available within the second group...

Richard Jordan Over a year ago

Here's the documentation: relishapp.com/rspec/rspec-core/v/2-11/docs/example-groups/…

Eugene Over a year ago

I've laid it out like you described, but I still get an undefined method error in the shared_examples... Somehow I'm not grasping this.

Richard Jordan Over a year ago

Hmm... this is how I've got it done in several test suites... let me go over the code again and make sure I've not done anything stupid.

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