Testing

Learn how to write automated tests for the Brands feature

Automated testing is a crucial part of the development process. It helps you ensure that your code works as expected and catches bugs early. Spree uses RSpec, Factory Bot, and Capybara for testing. We also provide the spree_dev_tools gem that helps you write Spree-specific tests.

<Info> This guide assumes you've completed all previous tutorials through [Store API](/developer/tutorial/store-api). You should have a complete `Spree::Brand` model with admin features and API endpoints. </Info>

Setup

Step 1: Set RSpec as the Test Framework

bash

bin/rails g rspec:install

Step 2: Run the spree_dev_tools Generator

bash

bin/rails g spree_dev_tools:install

This adds Spree-specific test helpers to your spec/support/ directory, including:

Authorization helpers (stub_authorization!)
Factory Bot configuration
Capybara setup for feature tests
and more…

Step 3: Create the Fixtures Directory and File

When writing tests that involve file attachments (like images, PDFs, etc.), you need fixture files that your factories can use. Here's how to set them up.

bash

mkdir -p spec/fixtures/files && printf '\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n\x00\x00\x00\rIHDR\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x01\x08\x02\x00\x00\x00\x90wS\xde\x00\x00\x00\x0cIDATx\x9cc\xf8\x0f\x00\x00\x01\x01\x00\x05\x18\xd8N\x00\x00\x00\x00IEND\xaeB`\x82' > spec/fixtures/files/logo.png

Step 4: Generate Test Files

bash

bin/rails g rspec:model Spree::Brand

This creates spec/models/spree/brand_spec.rb.

Writing Factories

Factories provide a convenient way to create test data. Create a factory for your Brand model:

ruby

FactoryBot.define do
  factory :brand, class: Spree::Brand do
    sequence(:name) { |n| "Brand #{n}" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "brand-#{n}" }

    trait :with_description do
      description { '<div>A great brand for <strong>quality products</strong></div>' }
    end

    trait :with_logo do
      after(:create) do |brand|
        brand.logo.attach(
          io: File.new(Rails.root.join('spec', 'fixtures', 'files', 'logo.png')),
          filename: 'logo.png'
        )
      end
    end

    trait :with_products do
      transient do
        products_count { 3 }
        store { nil }
      end

      after(:create) do |brand, evaluator|
        store = evaluator.store || create(:store)
        create_list(:product, evaluator.products_count, brand: brand, stores: [store])
      end
    end
  end
end

Factory Usage Examples

ruby

# Basic factory
brand = create(:brand)

# With traits
brand = create(:brand, :with_description, :with_logo)

# With custom attributes
brand = create(:brand, name: 'Nike')

# Build without persisting (faster for unit tests)
brand = build(:brand)

# Create multiple records
brands = create_list(:brand, 5)

# With associated products
brand = create(:brand, :with_products)
brand = create(:brand, :with_products, products_count: 5)

Writing Model Tests

Model tests verify your business logic, validations, associations, and scopes.

ruby

require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe Spree::Brand, type: :model do
  describe 'associations' do
    it 'has many products' do
      association = described_class.reflect_on_association(:products)
      expect(association.macro).to eq(:has_many)
      expect(association.class_name).to eq('Spree::Product')
    end
  end

  describe 'validations' do
    it 'validates presence of name' do
      brand = build(:brand, name: nil)
      expect(brand).not_to be_valid
      expect(brand.errors[:name]).to include("can't be blank")
    end

    describe 'slug uniqueness' do
      let!(:existing_brand) { create(:brand, slug: 'nike') }

      it 'validates uniqueness of slug' do
        brand = build(:brand, slug: 'nike')
        expect(brand).not_to be_valid
        expect(brand.errors[:slug]).to include('has already been taken')
      end
    end
  end

  describe 'FriendlyId' do
    it 'generates slug from name' do
      brand = create(:brand, name: 'Nike Sportswear', slug: nil)
      expect(brand.slug).to eq('nike-sportswear')
    end

    it 'handles duplicate names by appending UUID' do
      create(:brand, name: 'Nike', slug: 'nike')
      brand = create(:brand, name: 'Nike', slug: nil)
      expect(brand.slug).to match(/nike-[a-f0-9-]+/)
    end
  end

  describe '#image' do
    let(:brand) { create(:brand, :with_logo) }

    it 'returns logo as image for Open Graph' do
      expect(brand.image).to eq(brand.logo)
    end
  end
end

Testing Decorators

When you extend core Spree models with decorators (see Extending Core Models), test the added functionality:

ruby

require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe 'Spree::Product brand association' do
  let(:store) { @default_store }
  let(:brand) { create(:brand) }
  let(:product) { create(:product, stores: [store]) }

  describe 'brand association' do
    it 'can be assigned a brand' do
      product.brand = brand
      product.save!

      expect(product.reload.brand).to eq(brand)
    end

    it 'is optional' do
      product.brand = nil
      expect(product).to be_valid
    end
  end

  describe 'brand.products' do
    let!(:product1) { create(:product, brand: brand, stores: [store]) }
    let!(:product2) { create(:product, brand: brand, stores: [store]) }
    let!(:other_product) { create(:product, stores: [store]) }

    it 'returns products for the brand' do
      expect(brand.products).to contain_exactly(product1, product2)
    end

    it 'nullifies brand_id when brand is destroyed' do
      brand.destroy
      expect(product1.reload.brand_id).to be_nil
    end
  end
end

Writing Controller Tests

Controller tests verify that your endpoints respond correctly and perform the expected actions.

Store API Controller Tests

Test the API endpoints we created in the Store API tutorial. Store API tests use the 'API v3 Store' shared context which sets up a store, publishable API key, and JWT tokens.

ruby

require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe Spree::Api::V3::Store::BrandsController, type: :controller do
  render_views

  include_context 'API v3 Store'

  let!(:brand1) { create(:brand, name: 'Nike') }
  let!(:brand2) { create(:brand, name: 'Adidas') }

  before do
    request.headers['X-Spree-Api-Key'] = api_key.token
  end

  describe 'GET #index' do
    it 'returns a list of brands' do
      get :index

      expect(response).to have_http_status(:ok)
      expect(json_response['data'].size).to eq(2)
    end

    it 'returns brand attributes' do
      get :index

      brand_data = json_response['data'].first
      expect(brand_data).to include('id', 'name', 'slug')
    end

    it 'returns prefixed IDs' do
      get :index

      ids = json_response['data'].map { |b| b['id'] }
      ids.each { |id| expect(id).to start_with('brand_') }
    end

    it 'returns pagination metadata' do
      get :index, params: { page: 1, limit: 1 }

      expect(json_response['data'].size).to eq(1)
      expect(json_response['meta']).to include(
        'page' => 1,
        'limit' => 1,
        'count' => 2,
        'pages' => 2
      )
    end

    it 'filters by name' do
      get :index, params: { q: { name_cont: 'nik' } }

      expect(json_response['data'].size).to eq(1)
      expect(json_response['data'].first['name']).to eq('Nike')
    end

    it 'sorts by name' do
      get :index, params: { sort: 'name' }

      names = json_response['data'].map { |b| b['name'] }
      expect(names).to eq(%w[Adidas Nike])
    end
  end

  describe 'GET #show' do
    it 'returns a brand by prefixed ID' do
      get :show, params: { id: brand1.prefixed_id }

      expect(response).to have_http_status(:ok)
      expect(json_response['id']).to eq(brand1.prefixed_id)
      expect(json_response['name']).to eq('Nike')
    end

    it 'returns a brand by slug' do
      get :show, params: { id: brand1.slug }

      expect(response).to have_http_status(:ok)
      expect(json_response['name']).to eq('Nike')
    end

    it 'returns 404 for non-existent brand' do
      get :show, params: { id: 'brand_nonexistent' }

      expect(response).to have_http_status(:not_found)
    end
  end

  describe 'GET #show with logo' do
    let!(:brand_with_logo) { create(:brand, :with_logo) }

    it 'includes logo_url when logo is attached' do
      get :show, params: { id: brand_with_logo.prefixed_id }

      expect(json_response['logo_url']).to be_present
    end
  end
end

Testing the Product Brand Association

Test that the custom Product serializer includes brand data:

ruby

require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe Spree::Api::V3::Store::ProductsController, type: :controller do
  render_views

  include_context 'API v3 Store'

  let(:brand) { create(:brand, name: 'Nike') }
  let!(:product) { create(:product, brand: brand, stores: [store], status: 'active') }

  before do
    request.headers['X-Spree-Api-Key'] = api_key.token
  end

  describe 'GET #show' do
    it 'includes brand_id' do
      get :show, params: { id: product.prefixed_id }

      expect(json_response['brand_id']).to eq(brand.prefixed_id)
    end

    it 'does not include brand object without expand' do
      get :show, params: { id: product.prefixed_id }

      expect(json_response).not_to have_key('brand')
    end

    it 'includes brand object with expand=brand' do
      get :show, params: { id: product.prefixed_id, expand: 'brand' }

      expect(json_response['brand']).to be_present
      expect(json_response['brand']['id']).to eq(brand.prefixed_id)
      expect(json_response['brand']['name']).to eq('Nike')
    end
  end

  describe 'GET #index' do
    it 'filters products by brand_id' do
      other_product = create(:product, stores: [store], status: 'active')

      get :index, params: { q: { brand_id_eq: brand.id } }

      ids = json_response['data'].map { |p| p['id'] }
      expect(ids).to include(product.prefixed_id)
      expect(ids).not_to include(other_product.prefixed_id)
    end
  end
end

Admin Controller Tests

ruby

require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe Spree::Admin::BrandsController, type: :controller do
  stub_authorization!
  render_views

  describe 'GET #index' do
    let!(:brand1) { create(:brand, name: 'Adidas') }
    let!(:brand2) { create(:brand, name: 'Nike') }

    it 'returns a successful response' do
      get :index
      expect(response).to be_successful
    end

    it 'displays all brands' do
      get :index
      expect(response.body).to include('Adidas')
      expect(response.body).to include('Nike')
    end
  end

  describe 'GET #new' do
    it 'returns a successful response' do
      get :new
      expect(response).to be_successful
    end

    it 'displays the new brand form' do
      get :new
      expect(response.body).to include('brand[name]')
    end
  end

  describe 'POST #create' do
    context 'with valid params' do
      let(:valid_params) do
        { brand: { name: 'New Brand' } }
      end

      it 'creates a new brand' do
        expect {
          post :create, params: valid_params
        }.to change(Spree::Brand, :count).by(1)
      end

      it 'redirects to the edit page' do
        post :create, params: valid_params
        expect(response).to redirect_to(spree.edit_admin_brand_path(Spree::Brand.last))
      end
    end

    context 'with invalid params' do
      let(:invalid_params) do
        { brand: { name: '' } }
      end

      it 'does not create a new brand' do
        expect {
          post :create, params: invalid_params
        }.not_to change(Spree::Brand, :count)
      end

      it 'returns unprocessable entity status' do
        post :create, params: invalid_params
        expect(response).to have_http_status(:unprocessable_content)
      end
    end
  end

  describe 'GET #edit' do
    let(:brand) { create(:brand) }

    it 'returns a successful response' do
      get :edit, params: { id: brand.id }
      expect(response).to be_successful
    end
  end

  describe 'PUT #update' do
    let(:brand) { create(:brand, name: 'Old Name') }

    context 'with valid params' do
      it 'updates the brand' do
        put :update, params: { id: brand.id, brand: { name: 'New Name' } }
        expect(brand.reload.name).to eq('New Name')
      end

      it 'redirects to the edit page' do
        put :update, params: { id: brand.id, brand: { name: 'New Name' } }
        expect(response).to redirect_to(spree.edit_admin_brand_path(brand))
      end
    end
  end

  describe 'DELETE #destroy' do
    let!(:brand) { create(:brand) }

    it 'removes the brand from the database' do
      expect {
        delete :destroy, params: { id: brand.id }, format: :html
      }.to change(Spree::Brand, :count).by(-1)
    end
  end
end

Writing Feature Tests

Feature tests (also called system tests) simulate real user interactions using Capybara.

Admin Feature Tests

ruby

require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.feature 'Admin Brands', type: :feature do
  stub_authorization!

  describe 'listing brands' do
    let!(:brand1) { create(:brand, name: 'Nike') }
    let!(:brand2) { create(:brand, name: 'Adidas') }

    it 'displays all brands' do
      visit spree.admin_brands_path

      expect(page).to have_content('Nike')
      expect(page).to have_content('Adidas')
    end
  end

  describe 'creating a brand' do
    it 'creates a new brand successfully' do
      visit spree.admin_brands_path
      click_on 'New Brand'

      fill_in 'Name', with: 'Puma'
      fill_in 'Slug', with: 'puma'

      click_on 'Create'
      wait_for_turbo

      expect(page).to have_content('Brand "Puma" has been successfully created!')
      expect(Spree::Brand.find_by(name: 'Puma')).to be_present
    end

    it 'shows validation errors' do
      visit spree.new_admin_brand_path

      click_on 'Create'
      wait_for_turbo

      expect(page).to have_content("can't be blank")
    end
  end

  describe 'editing a brand' do
    let!(:brand) { create(:brand, name: 'Nike') }

    it 'updates the brand successfully' do
      visit spree.admin_brands_path
      click_on 'Edit'

      fill_in 'Name', with: 'Nike Inc.'
      within('#page-header') { click_button 'Update' }

      wait_for_turbo
      expect(page).to have_content('Brand "Nike Inc." has been successfully updated!')
      expect(brand.reload.name).to eq('Nike Inc.')
    end
  end

  describe 'deleting a brand' do
    let!(:brand) { create(:brand, name: 'Nike') }

    it 'removes the brand' do
      expect {
        page.driver.submit :delete, spree.admin_brand_path(brand), {}
      }.to change(Spree::Brand, :count).by(-1)
    end
  end
end

Test Helpers

Authorization Helper

Use stub_authorization! to bypass authorization checks in admin tests:

ruby

RSpec.describe Spree::Admin::BrandsController, type: :controller do
  stub_authorization!  # Grants full admin access

  # ... your tests
end

wait_for_turbo Helper

When testing with Turbo/Hotwire, use wait_for_turbo to ensure the page has fully loaded:

ruby

click_on 'Create'
wait_for_turbo
expect(page).to have_content('Success!')

Running Tests

bash

# Run all tests
bundle exec rspec

# Run specific test file
bundle exec rspec spec/models/spree/brand_spec.rb

# Run specific test
bundle exec rspec spec/models/spree/brand_spec.rb:15

# Run with documentation format
bundle exec rspec --format documentation

# Run only feature tests
bundle exec rspec spec/features/

Best Practices

<CardGroup cols={2}> <Card title="Use build over create" icon="bolt"> Use `build` instead of `create` when you don't need a persisted record. It's faster because it skips database operations. </Card> <Card title="Use let over instance variables" icon="code"> Prefer `let` and `let!` over instance variables. They're lazily evaluated and scoped to each example. </Card> <Card title="One assertion per test" icon="check"> Keep tests focused on a single behavior. Use `aggregate_failures` if you need multiple assertions. </Card> <Card title="Test behavior, not implementation" icon="eye"> Focus on what the code does, not how it does it. This makes tests more resilient to refactoring. </Card> </CardGroup>

Example: aggregate_failures

ruby

it 'creates brand with all attributes', :aggregate_failures do
  brand = create(:brand, name: 'Nike')

  expect(brand.name).to eq('Nike')
  expect(brand.slug).to eq('nike')
end

Complete Test Suite Structure

After completing this tutorial, your test structure should look like:

spec/
├── factories/
│   └── spree/
│       └── brand_factory.rb
├── models/
│   └── spree/
│       ├── brand_spec.rb
│       └── product_decorator_spec.rb
├── controllers/
│   └── spree/
│       ├── admin/
│       │   └── brands_controller_spec.rb
│       └── api/
│           └── v3/
│               └── store/
│                   ├── brands_controller_spec.rb
│                   └── products_brand_spec.rb
├── features/
│   └── spree/
│       └── admin/
│           └── brands_spec.rb
├── support/
│   └── (various support files)
├── rails_helper.rb
└── spec_helper.rb

Model Tutorial - Creating the Brand model
Admin Tutorial - Building the admin interface
Extending Core Models - Connecting Brands to Products
Store API Tutorial - Creating Brand API endpoints
RSpec Documentation - Official RSpec docs
Factory Bot Documentation - Factory Bot guide

Setup

Step 1: Set RSpec as the Test Framework

Step 2: Run the spree_dev_tools Generator

Step 3: Create the Fixtures Directory and File

Step 4: Generate Test Files

Writing Factories

Factory Usage Examples

Writing Model Tests

Testing Decorators

Writing Controller Tests

Store API Controller Tests

Testing the Product Brand Association

Admin Controller Tests

Writing Feature Tests

Admin Feature Tests

Test Helpers

Authorization Helper

wait_for_turbo Helper

Running Tests

Best Practices

Example: aggregate_failures

Complete Test Suite Structure

Related Documentation