How do I generate specs for existing controllers?

Question

I have several controllers already set up. Now I want to start writing spec tests for them. Is there a command that generates the spec files automatically? I know rails does

Answer 1

There are two options. If you want an empty spec file, you could try with:

rails g rspec:controller ControllerName

Now, if you want a spec file with initial specs for a basic REST controller, try with:

rails g rspec:scaffold ControllerName

Answer 2

rails g rspec:controller ControllerName

When it asks you to override the existing controller, type n.

Answer 3

If you've configured rspec in application.rb:

config.generators do |g|
  g.test_framework      :rspec
end

then rails g controller things will work. Opt not to overwrite files as they're generated.

All a spec looks like when it's generated is the following:

require 'spec_helper'

describe ThingsController do

  it "should be successful" do
    get :index
    response.should be_successful
  end

end

I often create the specs manually, as it's rather trivial.