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Project: RSpec Core 2.0

Publisher: RSpec

before and after hooks

As a developer using RSpec
I want to execute arbitrary code before and after each example
So that I can control the environment in which it is run

This is supported by the before and after methods which each take a symbol
indicating the scope, and a block of code to execute.

before(:each) blocks are run before each example
before(:all) blocks are run once before all of the examples in a group

after(:each) blocks are run after each example
after(:all) blocks are run once after all of the examples in a group

Before and after blocks are called in the following order:
before suite
before all
before each
after each
after all
after suite

Before and after blocks can be defined in the example groups to which they
apply or in a configuration. When defined in a configuration, they can be
applied to all groups or subsets of all groups defined by example group
types.

Scenarios
  1. define before(:each) block
  2. define before(:all) block in example group
  3. failure in before(:all) block
  4. failure in after(:all) block
  5. define before and after blocks in configuration
  6. before/after blocks are run in order
  7. before/after blocks defined in config are run in order
  8. before/after all blocks are run once
  9. nested examples have access to state set in outer before(:all)
  10. before/after all blocks have access to state
  11. exception in before(:each) is captured and reported as failure
define before(:each) block
Given
a file named "before_each_spec.rb" with: 
require "rspec/expectations"

class Thing
  def widgets
    @widgets ||= []
  end
end

describe Thing do
  before(:each) do
    @thing = Thing.new
  end

  describe "initialized in before(:each)" do
    it "has 0 widgets" do
      @thing.should have(0).widgets
    end

    it "can get accept new widgets" do
      @thing.widgets << Object.new
    end

    it "does not share state across examples" do
      @thing.should have(0).widgets
    end
  end
end
When
I run "rspec ./before_each_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "3 examples, 0 failures"
define before(:all) block in example group
Given
a file named "before_all_spec.rb" with: 
require "rspec/expectations"

class Thing
  def widgets
    @widgets ||= []
  end
end

describe Thing do
  before(:all) do
    @thing = Thing.new
  end

  describe "initialized in before(:all)" do
    it "has 0 widgets" do
      @thing.should have(0).widgets
    end

    it "can get accept new widgets" do
      @thing.widgets << Object.new
    end

    it "shares state across examples" do
      @thing.should have(1).widgets
    end
  end
end
When
I run "rspec ./before_all_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "3 examples, 0 failures"
When
I run "rspec ./before_all_spec.rb:15"
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 0 failures"
failure in before(:all) block
Given
a file named "before_all_spec.rb" with: 
describe "an error in before(:all)" do
  before(:all) do
    raise "oops"
  end

  it "fails this example" do
  end

  it "fails this example, too" do
  end

  after(:all) do
    puts "after all ran"
  end

  describe "nested group" do
    it "fails this third example" do
    end

    it "fails this fourth example" do
    end

    describe "yet another level deep" do
      it "fails this last example" do
      end
    end
  end
end
When
I run "rspec ./before_all_spec.rb --format documentation"
Then
the output should contain "5 examples, 5 failures"
And
the output should contain: 
an error in before(:all)
  fails this example (FAILED - 1)
  fails this example, too (FAILED - 2)
  nested group
    fails this third example (FAILED - 3)
    fails this fourth example (FAILED - 4)
    yet another level deep
      fails this last example (FAILED - 5)
after all ran
When
I run "rspec ./before_all_spec.rb:9 --format documentation"
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 1 failure"
And
the output should contain: 
an error in before(:all)
  fails this example, too (FAILED - 1)
  nested group
    yet another level deep
after all ran
failure in after(:all) block
Given
a file named "after_all_spec.rb" with: 
describe "an error in after(:all)" do
  after(:all) do
    raise StandardError.new("Boom!")
  end

  it "passes this example" do
  end

  it "passes this example, too" do
  end
end
When
I run "rspec after_all_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "2 examples, 0 failures"
And
the output should contain: 
An error occurred in an after(:all) hook.
  StandardError: Boom!
define before and after blocks in configuration
Given
a file named "befores_in_configuration_spec.rb" with: 
require "rspec/expectations"

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.before(:each) do
    @before_each = "before each"
  end
  config.before(:all) do
    @before_all = "before all"
  end
end

describe "stuff in before blocks" do
  describe "with :all" do
    it "should be available in the example" do
      @before_all.should == "before all"
    end
  end
  describe "with :each" do
    it "should be available in the example" do
      @before_each.should == "before each"
    end
  end
end
When
I run "rspec ./befores_in_configuration_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "2 examples, 0 failures"
before/after blocks are run in order
Given
a file named "ensure_block_order_spec.rb" with: 
require "rspec/expectations"

describe "before and after callbacks" do
  before(:all) do
    puts "before all"
  end

  before(:each) do
    puts "before each"
  end

  after(:each) do
    puts "after each"
  end

  after(:all) do
    puts "after all"
  end

  it "gets run in order" do

  end
end
When
I run "rspec ./ensure_block_order_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain: 
before all
before each
after each
.after all
before/after blocks defined in config are run in order
Given
a file named "configuration_spec.rb" with: 
require "rspec/expectations"

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.before(:suite) do
    puts "before suite"
  end

  config.before(:all) do
    puts "before all"
  end

  config.before(:each) do
    puts "before each"
  end

  config.after(:each) do
    puts "after each"
  end

  config.after(:all) do
    puts "after all"
  end

  config.after(:suite) do
    puts "after suite"
  end
end

describe "ignore" do
  example "ignore" do
  end
end
When
I run "rspec configuration_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain: 
before suite
before all
before each
after each
.after all
after suite
before/after all blocks are run once
Given
a file named "before_and_after_all_spec.rb" with: 
describe "before and after callbacks" do
  before(:all) do
    puts "outer before all"
  end

  example "in outer group" do
  end

  after(:all) do
    puts "outer after all"
  end

  describe "nested group" do
    before(:all) do
      puts "inner before all"
    end
    
    example "in nested group" do
    end

    after(:all) do
      puts "inner after all"
    end
  end

end
When
I run "rspec ./before_and_after_all_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "2 examples, 0 failures"
And
the output should contain: 
outer before all
.inner before all
.inner after all
outer after all
When
I run "rspec ./before_and_after_all_spec.rb:14"
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 0 failures"
And
the output should contain: 
outer before all
inner before all
.inner after all
outer after all
When
I run "rspec ./before_and_after_all_spec.rb:6"
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 0 failures"
And
the output should contain: 
outer before all
.outer after all
nested examples have access to state set in outer before(:all)
Given
a file named "before_all_spec.rb" with: 
describe "something" do
  before :all do
    @value = 123
  end

  describe "nested" do
    it "access state set in before(:all)" do
      @value.should eq(123)
    end

    describe "nested more deeply" do
      it "access state set in before(:all)" do
        @value.should eq(123)
      end
    end
  end

  describe "nested in parallel" do
    it "access state set in before(:all)" do
      @value.should == 123
    end
  end
end
When
I run "rspec before_all_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "3 examples, 0 failures"
before/after all blocks have access to state
Given
a file named "before_and_after_all_spec.rb" with: 
describe "before and after callbacks" do
  before(:all) do
    @outer_state = "set in outer before all"
  end

  example "in outer group" do
    @outer_state.should eq("set in outer before all")
  end

  describe "nested group" do
    before(:all) do
      @inner_state = "set in inner before all"
    end

    example "in nested group" do
      @outer_state.should eq("set in outer before all")
      @inner_state.should eq("set in inner before all")
    end

    after(:all) do
      @inner_state.should eq("set in inner before all")
    end
  end

  after(:all) do
    # p @outer_state.nil?
    @outer_state.should eq("set in outer before all")
  end
end
When
I run "rspec ./before_and_after_all_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "2 examples, 0 failures"
exception in before(:each) is captured and reported as failure
Given
a file named "error_in_before_each_spec.rb" with: 
describe "error in before(:each)" do
  before(:each) do
    raise "this error"
  end

  it "is reported as failure" do
  end
end
When
I run "rspec ./error_in_before_each_spec.rb"
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 1 failure"
And
the output should contain "this error"

Last published over 5 years ago by dchelimsky.