URL helpers in mailer specs?

[wincent]

Updating an app from RSpec 1.3 to RSpec 2.0 I've noticed that the standard URL helpers aren't available in my mailer specs any more.

I can't remember doing anything special in RSpec 1.3 to make them available, and looking at the RSpec 1.3 code I can't see anything explicit in there to make the helpers available either, but I might be overlooking it.

In RSpec 2.0 I've had to add something like the following "include" to make the helpers available:

describe CommentMailer do
  # need to explicitly include the helpers or we get a NoMethodError
  # each time we try to use one
  include Rails.application.routes.url_helpers

  # need this too otherwise we'll get an exception, "Missing host to link to!
  # Please provide :host parameter or set default_url_options[:host]"
  Rails.configuration.action_mailer.default_url_options.each do |key, value|
    default_url_options[key] = value
  end

  it 'should include a link to the comment edit form' do
    @mail.body.should match(/#{edit_comment_url(@comment)}/)
  end
end

Do you think it would be a good idea to add the helpers in by default? As in, roll it into ./lib/rspec/rails/example/mailer_example_group.rb? Something like the following (not tested yet, just a demo of the basic idea):

diff --git a/lib/rspec/rails/example/mailer_example_group.rb b/lib/rspec/rails/example/mailer_example_group.rb
index 60c8c9b..c8ba3dd 100644
--- a/lib/rspec/rails/example/mailer_example_group.rb
+++ b/lib/rspec/rails/example/mailer_example_group.rb
@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ module RSpec::Rails
     include RSpec::Matchers

     module ClassMethods
+      include Rails.application.routes.url_helpers
+      Rails.configuration.action_mailer.default_url_options.each do |key, value|
+        default_url_options[key] = value
+      end
+
       def mailer_class
         describes
       end

If you think it's a good idea let me know and I'll prepare a patch. In the meantime though I'll just stick something in my spec_helper so that I don't have to repeat the above set-up in all my mailer specs.

If it's a bad idea please be gentle as I am feeling a little sleep-deprived and possibly stupid right now.

(No idea whether I am going to run into similar issues with url_helpers in other types of specs... I only just started converting this app and have started with the mailer specs...)

Cheers, Wincent

[wincent]

For reference, this is my workaround that I've stuck in spec/support/mailer_spec_helpers.rb:

module MailerSpecHelpers
  extend ActiveSupport::Concern

  included do
    Rails.configuration.action_mailer.default_url_options.each do |key, value|
      default_url_options[key] = value
    end
  end

  include Rails.application.routes.url_helpers
end

Then in the mailer spec itself:

describe CommentMailer do
  include MailerSpecHelpers

  ...
end

[dchelimsky]

Seems like a good addition. Patch would be welcome. Get some sleep first, though.

[wincent]

Ok, have pushed a patch to the "issue-94" branch of my fork:

http://github.com/wincent/rspec-rails/commits/issue-94

Specifically, this commit:

http://github.com/wincent/rspec-rails/commit/fa34d8df79fb2d4fc6bde22437fa677a5076aa7b

Cheers, Wincent

[nashbridges]

Here's the merged commit for the reference.