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Project: RSpec Core 2.10

Publisher: RSpec

before and after hooks

Use before and after hooks to execute arbitrary code before and/or
after the body of an example is run:

before(:each) # run before each example
before(:all)  # run one time only, before all of the examples in a group

after(:each) # run after each example
after(:all)  # run one time only, 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 hooks can be defined directly in the example groups they
should run in, or in a global RSpec.configure block.

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 examples should all pass
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 examples should all pass
When
I run rspec before_all_spec.rb:15
Then
the examples should all pass
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)
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 examples should all pass
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 eq("before all")
    end
  end
  describe "with :each" do
    it "should be available in the example" do
      @before_each.should eq("before each")
    end
  end
end
When
I run rspec befores_in_configuration_spec.rb
Then
the examples should all pass
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 --format progress 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 --format progress 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 --format progress before_and_after_all_spec.rb
Then
the examples should all pass
And
the output should contain: 
outer before all
.inner before all
.inner after all
outer after all
When
I run rspec --format progress before_and_after_all_spec.rb:14
Then
the examples should all pass
And
the output should contain: 
outer before all
inner before all
.inner after all
outer after all
When
I run rspec --format progress before_and_after_all_spec.rb:6
Then
the examples should all pass
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 eq(123)
    end
  end
end
When
I run rspec before_all_spec.rb
Then
the examples should all pass
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
    @outer_state.should eq("set in outer before all")
  end
end
When
I run rspec before_and_after_all_spec.rb
Then
the examples should all pass
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.