Using assert_select on strings

October 1st 2008

Question:

assert_select is awesome for testing dom objects – but it relies on using the standard rails response cycle. How can I use assert_select on to find dom elements in a standard string?

Answer:

Stub the response object!

def test_big_selector_helper
  # the response requires a content_type - just set it to "text" 
  @response.stubs(:content_type).returns "text" 
  # big_element_selector is the helper method I'm testing in this instance
  # replace with the string that you want to test
  @response.stubs(:body).returns big_element_selector
  # now you can use assert_select
  assert_select "ul" do
  assert_select "li", :count => 3
end