I run into this question each time I add a validation to my model. Should I add a unit test for that validation?
On the one hand, I've heard/read the philosophy: "Q: What should I test? A: Only the stuff you care about working". On the other hand I've heard/read, "You don't need to test methods provided by Rails -- they are already tested by the test suite included with the framework." If I put this in my model: validates_uniqueness_of :name Then I feel like I should write a unit test like test_name_should_be_unique. But then that feels like I'm testing the framework. If I've gone through the trouble of adding the validation to my model, then it feels like I should go through the trouble of testing the code I added to my model. Equivalently, if you're in the TDD/BDD driven camp, if I care about the behavior that the name should be unique, I should write a test in which I try to add 2 records with the same name field, verify the test fails, add the validation to my model, and verify the test passes. At this point, I start to think... DRY. Why should I write substantially the same tests for every field in each model for which I care that the field is unique (or present, or has a numericality, etc...). Are there test helper methods such as #test_uniqueness_of, or #test_presence_of? I've never seen such functions, which makes me think that they're not important or useful enough for anybody (other than myself) to have written and used. Since I have never had a good idea that wasn't replicated 100 times on the internet already, I tend to think these sort of helper functions aren't a good idea. So I ask why not? What am I missing? --wpd -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ruby on Rails: Talk" group. To post to this group, send email to rubyonrails-t...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rubyonrails-talk+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en.
