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Project: RSpec Core 3.10

Publisher: RSpec

Global namespace DSL

RSpec has a few top-level constructs that allow you to begin describing
behaviour:

  • RSpec.describe: Define a named context for a group of examples.

  • RSpec.shared_examples: Define a set of shared examples that can later be
    included in an example group.

  • RSpec.shared_context: define some common context (using before, let,
    helper methods, etc) that can later be included in an example group.

Historically, these constructs have been available directly off of the main
object, so that you could use these at the start of a file without the
RSpec. prefix. They have also been available off of any class or module so
that you can scope your examples within a particular constant namespace.

RSpec 3 now provides an option to disable this global monkey patching:

config.expose_dsl_globally = false

For backwards compatibility it defaults to true.

Scenarios
  1. By default RSpec allows the DSL to be used globally
  2. By default rspec/autorun allows the DSL to be used globally
  3. When exposing globally is disabled the top level DSL no longer works
  4. Regardless of setting
  • @allow-should-syntax
By default RSpec allows the DSL to be used globally
Given
a file named "spec/example_spec.rb" with: 
describe "specs here" do
  it "passes" do
  end
end
When
I run rspec
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 0 failures"
  • @allow-should-syntax
By default rspec/autorun allows the DSL to be used globally
Given
a file named "spec/example_spec.rb" with: 
require 'rspec/autorun'
describe "specs here" do
  it "passes" do
  end
end
When
I run ruby spec/example_spec.rb
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 0 failures"
When exposing globally is disabled the top level DSL no longer works
Given
a file named "spec/example_spec.rb" with: 
RSpec.configure { |c| c.expose_dsl_globally = false }
describe "specs here" do
  it "passes" do
  end
end
When
I run rspec
Then
the output should contain "undefined method `describe'"
Regardless of setting
Given
a file named "spec/example_spec.rb" with: 
RSpec.configure { |c| c.expose_dsl_globally = true }
RSpec.describe "specs here" do
  it "passes" do
  end
end
When
I run rspec
Then
the output should contain "1 example, 0 failures"

Last published almost 2 years ago by Jon Rowe.