Fix is a modern Ruby testing framework that emphasizes clear separation between specifications and examples. Unlike traditional testing frameworks, Fix focuses on creating pure specification documents that define expected behaviors without mixing in implementation details.
- Ruby >= 3.1.0
Add to your Gemfile:
gem "fix"
Then execute:
bundle install
Or install it yourself:
gem install fix
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Specifications vs Examples: Fix makes a clear distinction between specifications (what is expected) and examples (how it's demonstrated). This separation leads to cleaner, more maintainable test suites.
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Logic-Free Specifications: Your specification documents remain pure and focused on defining behaviors, without getting cluttered by implementation logic.
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Rich Semantic Language: Following RFC 2119 conventions, Fix uses precise language with keywords like MUST, SHOULD, and MAY to clearly define different requirement levels in specifications.
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Fast Individual Testing: Tests execute quickly and independently, providing rapid feedback on specification compliance.
Define reusable properties across your specifications:
Fix do
let(:name) { "Bob" }
let(:age) { 42 }
it MUST eq name
end
Test behavior under different conditions:
Fix do
with name: "Alice", role: "admin" do
it MUST be_allowed
end
with name: "Bob", role: "guest" do
it MUST_NOT be_allowed
end
end
Test how objects respond to specific messages:
Fix do
on :upcase do
it MUST eq "HELLO"
end
on :+, 2 do
it MUST eq 42
end
end
Fix provides three levels of requirements, each with clear semantic meaning:
- MUST/MUST_NOT: Absolute requirements or prohibitions
- SHOULD/SHOULD_NOT: Recommended practices with valid exceptions
- MAY: Optional features
Fix do
it MUST be_valid # Required
it SHOULD be_optimized # Recommended
it MAY include_metadata # Optional
end
Create your first test file:
# first_test.rb
require "fix"
Fix :HelloWorld do
it MUST eq "Hello, World!"
end
Fix[:HelloWorld].test { "Hello, World!" }
Run it:
ruby first_test.rb
Fix is designed to work with real-world applications of any complexity. Here are some examples demonstrating how Fix can be used in different scenarios:
Here's a comprehensive example showing how to specify a user account system:
Fix :UserAccount do
# Define reusable properties
let(:admin) { User.new(role: "admin") }
let(:guest) { User.new(role: "guest") }
# Test basic instance properties
it MUST be_an_instance_of User
# Test with different contexts
with role: "admin" do
it MUST be_admin
on :can_access?, "settings" do
it MUST be_true
end
end
with role: "guest" do
it MUST_NOT be_admin
on :can_access?, "settings" do
it MUST be_false
end
end
# Test specific methods
on :full_name do
with first_name: "John", last_name: "Doe" do
it MUST eq "John Doe"
end
end
on :update_password, "new_password" do
it MUST change(admin, :password_hash)
it MUST be_true # Return value check
end
end
The implementation might look like this:
class User
attr_reader :role, :password_hash
def initialize(role:)
@role = role
@password_hash = nil
end
def admin?
role == "admin"
end
def can_access?(resource)
return true if admin?
false
end
def full_name
"#{@first_name} #{@last_name}"
end
def update_password(new_password)
@password_hash = Digest::SHA256.hexdigest(new_password)
true
end
end
Here's how Fix can be used to specify a Duck class:
Fix :Duck do
it SHOULD be_an_instance_of :Duck
on :swims do
it MUST be_an_instance_of :String
it MUST eql "Swoosh..."
end
on :speaks do
it MUST raise_exception NoMethodError
end
on :sings do
it MAY eql "♪... ♫..."
end
end
The implementation:
class Duck
def walks
"Klop klop!"
end
def swims
"Swoosh..."
end
def quacks
puts "Quaaaaaack!"
end
end
Running the test:
Fix[:Duck].test { Duck.new }
Fix includes a comprehensive set of matchers through its integration with the Matchi library:
Basic Comparison Matchers
eq(expected)
- Tests equality usingeql?
it MUST eq(42) # Passes if value.eql?(42) it MUST eq("hello") # Passes if value.eql?("hello")
eql(expected)
- Alias for eqbe(expected)
- Tests object identity usingequal?
string = "test" it MUST be(string) # Passes only if it's exactly the same object
equal(expected)
- Alias for be
Type Checking Matchers
be_an_instance_of(class)
- Verifies exact class matchit MUST be_an_instance_of(Array) # Passes if value.instance_of?(Array) it MUST be_an_instance_of(User) # Passes if value.instance_of?(User)
be_a_kind_of(class)
- Checks class inheritance and module inclusionit MUST be_a_kind_of(Enumerable) # Passes if value.kind_of?(Enumerable) it MUST be_a_kind_of(Animal) # Passes if value inherits from Animal
Change Testing Matchers
change(object, method)
- Base matcher for state changes.by(n)
- Expects exact change by nit MUST change(user, :points).by(5) # Exactly +5 points
.by_at_least(n)
- Expects minimum change by nit MUST change(counter, :value).by_at_least(10) # At least +10
.by_at_most(n)
- Expects maximum change by nit MUST change(account, :balance).by_at_most(100) # No more than +100
.from(old).to(new)
- Expects change from old to new valueit MUST change(user, :status).from("pending").to("active")
.to(new)
- Expects change to new valueit MUST change(post, :title).to("Updated")
Numeric Matchers
be_within(delta).of(value)
- Tests if a value is within ±delta of expected valueit MUST be_within(0.1).of(3.14) # Passes if value is between 3.04 and 3.24 it MUST be_within(5).of(100) # Passes if value is between 95 and 105
Pattern Matchers
match(regex)
- Tests string against regular expression patternit MUST match(/^\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}$/) # SSN format it MUST match(/^[A-Z][a-z]+$/) # Capitalized word
satisfy { |value| ... }
- Custom matching with blockit MUST satisfy { |num| num.even? && num > 0 } it MUST satisfy { |user| user.valid? && user.active? }
Exception Matchers
raise_exception(class)
- Tests if code raises specified exceptionit MUST raise_exception(ArgumentError) it MUST raise_exception(CustomError, "specific message")
State Matchers
be_true
- Tests for trueit MUST be_true # Only passes for true, not truthy values
be_false
- Tests for falseit MUST be_false # Only passes for false, not falsey values
be_nil
- Tests for nilit MUST be_nil # Passes only for nil
Dynamic Predicate Matchers
be_*
- Dynamically matchesobject.*?
methodit MUST be_empty # Calls empty? it MUST be_valid # Calls valid? it MUST be_frozen # Calls frozen?
have_*
- Dynamically matchesobject.has_*?
methodit MUST have_key(:id) # Calls has_key? it MUST have_errors # Calls has_errors? it MUST have_permission # Calls has_permission?
Here's an example using various matchers together:
Fix :Calculator do
it MUST be_an_instance_of Calculator
on :add, 2, 3 do
it MUST eq 5
it MUST be_within(0.001).of(5.0)
end
on :divide, 1, 0 do
it MUST raise_exception ZeroDivisionError
end
with numbers: [1, 2, 3] do
it MUST_NOT be_empty
it MUST satisfy { |result| result.all? { |n| n.positive? } }
end
with string_input: "123" do
on :parse do
it MUST be_a_kind_of Numeric
it MUST satisfy { |n| n > 0 }
end
end
end
Fix brings several unique advantages to Ruby testing that set it apart from traditional testing frameworks:
- Clear Separation of Concerns: Keep your specifications clean and your examples separate
- Semantic Precision: Express requirements with different levels of necessity
- Fast Execution: Get quick feedback on specification compliance
- Pure Specifications: Write specification documents that focus on behavior, not implementation
- Rich Matcher Library: Comprehensive set of matchers for different testing needs
- Modern Ruby: Takes advantage of modern Ruby features and practices
Ready to write better specifications? Visit our GitHub repository to start using Fix in your Ruby projects.
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Fix follows Semantic Versioning 2.0.
The gem is available as open source under the terms of the MIT License.
This project is sponsored by Sashité