HTTP POST XML Content from Cucumber

Question

I am trying to send XML content via POST to the controller method ("Parse") ("index") in a simple Rails project. This is not RESTful, since my model name is different, say, “cars”. I have the following in a functional test that works:

def test_index ... data_file_path = File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../app/views/layouts/index.xml.erb' message = ERB.new( File.read( data_file_path ) ) xml_result = message.result( binding ) doc = REXML::Document.new xml_result @request.env['RAW_POST_DATA'] = xml_result post :index assert_response :success end 

Now I'm trying to use a cucumber (0.4.3) and would like to know how I can simulate a POST request in the When clause. I have only one controller "index" method, and I have the following in config / routes.rb:

 ActionController::Routing::Routes.draw do |map| map.connect ':controller/:action/:id' map.connect ':controller/:action/:id.:format' end 

• The webrat inside the cucumber is HTML only and cannot do POST?
• variable @request is not available from the environment of the cucumber?
• If I use something like a visit index (assuming it is a Parse controller, index method) in the / step _definitions / car_steps.rb functions, I get the following error:

undefined `index 'method for # (NoMethodError)

Evaluate any suggestions on how to do integration tests with Cucumber for HTTP POST with XML content.

Answer 1

Webrat will not help you here, it is for interacting with the browser, so if you use the API it will not help.

You can use the “message” in Cucumber, but you need to provide the full path to the action, not just the action. Also, pass a Content-type header so that Rails knows you are passing in XML.

 post("/controller/index", xml_result, {"Content-type" => "text/xml"}) 

On the response side, you can do the following:

 response.should be_success 

Answer 2

Patrick Richie's solution also helped me, but I needed to make some minor changes to work with Rails 3.

 post("/controller/index", xml_result, {"CONTENT_TYPE" => "text/xml"}) 

I think this is due to the fact that in v3 Rails is more closely integrated with Rack.

Answer 3

Thanks a lot guys, I swore all night. I will add an example with basic authentication and with json if other people than me are looking for it. btw, both application/xml and text/xml , but for json you need application/json .

 post("/myresource.xml", some_xml_string, {"CONTENT_TYPE" => "text/xml", "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION" => ActionController::HttpAuthentication::Basic.encode_credentials("user", "secret")}) 

and json

 post("/myresource.json", some_json_string, {"CONTENT_TYPE" => "application/json", "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION" => ActionController::HttpAuthentication::Basic.encode_credentials("user", "secret")}) 

and I use them in spec/requests without any webrat or capybara browser files.