around hooks

around hooks receive the example as a block argument, extended to behave as a proc. This lets you define code that should be executed before and after the example. Of course, you can do the same thing with before and after hooks; and it’s often cleaner to do so.

Where around hooks shine is when you want to run an example within a block. For instance, if your database library offers a transaction method that receives a block, you can use an around to cleanly open and close the transaction around the example.

WARNING: around hooks do not share state with the example the way before and after hooks do. This means that you cannot share instance variables between around hooks and examples.

WARNING: Mock frameworks are set up and torn down within the context of running the example. You cannot interact with them directly in around hooks.

WARNING: around hooks will execute before any before hooks, and after any after hooks regardless of the context they were defined in.

Use the example as a proc within the block passed to around()

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

class Database
  def self.transaction
    puts "open transaction"
    yield
    puts "close transaction"
  end
end

RSpec.describe "around filter" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    Database.transaction(&example)
  end

  it "gets run in order" do
    puts "run the example"
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain:

open transaction
run the example
close transaction

Invoke the example using run()

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "around hook" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    puts "around example before"
    example.run
    puts "around example after"
  end

  it "gets run in order" do
    puts "in the example"
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain:

around example before
in the example
around example after

Access the example metadata

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "something" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    puts example.metadata[:foo]
    example.run
  end

  it "does something", :foo => "this should show up in the output" do
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain “this should show up in the output”.

An around hook continues to run even if the example throws an exception

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

  RSpec.describe "something" do
    around(:example) do |example|
      puts "around example setup"
      example.run
      puts "around example cleanup"
    end

    it "still executes the entire around hook" do
      fail "the example blows up"
    end
  end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain “1 example, 1 failure”

And the output should contain:

around example setup
around example cleanup

Define a global around hook

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.configure do |c|
  c.around(:example) do |example|
    puts "around example before"
    example.run
    puts "around example after"
  end
end

RSpec.describe "around filter" do
  it "gets run in order" do
    puts "in the example"
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain:

around example before
in the example
around example after

Per example hooks are wrapped by the around hook

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "around filter" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    puts "around example before"
    example.run
    puts "around example after"
  end

  before(:example) do
    puts "before example"
  end

  after(:example) do
    puts "after example"
  end

  it "gets run in order" do
    puts "in the example"
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain:

around example before
before example
in the example
after example
around example after

Context hooks are NOT wrapped by the around hook

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "around filter" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    puts "around example before"
    example.run
    puts "around example after"
  end

  before(:context) do
    puts "before context"
  end

  after(:context) do
    puts "after context"
  end

  it "gets run in order" do
    puts "in the example"
  end
end

When I run rspec --format progress example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain:

before context
around example before
in the example
around example after
.after context

Examples run by an around block are run in the configured context

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

module IncludedInConfigureBlock
  def included_in_configure_block; true; end
end

RSpec.configure do |c|
  c.include IncludedInConfigureBlock
end

RSpec.describe "around filter" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    example.run
  end

  it "runs the example in the correct context" do
    expect(included_in_configure_block).to be(true)
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain “1 example, 0 failure”.

Implicitly pending examples are detected as Not yet implemented

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "implicit pending example" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    example.run
  end

  it "should be detected as Not yet implemented"
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain “1 example, 0 failures, 1 pending”

And the output should contain:

Pending: (Failures listed here are expected and do not affect your suite's status)

  1) implicit pending example should be detected as Not yet implemented
     # Not yet implemented
     # ./example_spec.rb:6

Explicitly pending examples are detected as pending

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "explicit pending example" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    example.run
  end

  it "should be detected as pending" do
    pending
    fail
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain “1 example, 0 failures, 1 pending”

And the output should contain:

Pending: (Failures listed here are expected and do not affect your suite's status)

  1) explicit pending example should be detected as pending
     # No reason given

Multiple around hooks in the same scope

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "if there are multiple around hooks in the same scope" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    puts "first around hook before"
    example.run
    puts "first around hook after"
  end

  around(:example) do |example|
    puts "second around hook before"
    example.run
    puts "second around hook after"
  end

  it "they should all be run" do
    puts "in the example"
    expect(1).to eq(1)
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain “1 example, 0 failure”

And the output should contain:

first around hook before
second around hook before
in the example
second around hook after
first around hook after

around hooks in multiple scopes

Given a file named “example_spec.rb” with:

RSpec.describe "if there are around hooks in an outer scope" do
  around(:example) do |example|
    puts "first outermost around hook before"
    example.run
    puts "first outermost around hook after"
  end

  around(:example) do |example|
    puts "second outermost around hook before"
    example.run
    puts "second outermost around hook after"
  end

  describe "outer scope" do
    around(:example) do |example|
      puts "first outer around hook before"
      example.run
      puts "first outer around hook after"
    end

    around(:example) do |example|
      puts "second outer around hook before"
      example.run
      puts "second outer around hook after"
    end

    describe "inner scope" do
      around(:example) do |example|
        puts "first inner around hook before"
        example.run
        puts "first inner around hook after"
      end

      around(:example) do |example|
        puts "second inner around hook before"
        example.run
        puts "second inner around hook after"
      end

      it "they should all be run" do
        puts "in the example"
      end
    end
  end
end

When I run rspec example_spec.rb

Then the output should contain “1 example, 0 failure”

And the output should contain:

first outermost around hook before
second outermost around hook before
first outer around hook before
second outer around hook before
first inner around hook before
second inner around hook before
in the example
second inner around hook after
first inner around hook after
second outer around hook after
first outer around hook after
second outermost around hook after
first outermost around hook after