[rspec-users] should_be_different -- possible implementation

[s.ross]

There is an assert_difference helper for Test::Unit (you can read  
about it at http://blog.caboo.se/articles/2006/06/13/a-better- 
assert_difference and to some it should look familiar -- you know who  
you are :), so I took a shot at one for rSpec on Rails.


class Object
     def should_be_different(method = nil, difference = nil)
         return self.should_not_eql(yield) if method.nil?

         before = self.send(method)
         yield
         return self.send(method).should_not_eql(before) if  
difference.nil?
         (self.send(method) - before).should_eql difference
     end
end


Usage:

     specify "should be able to create a new user" do
         Person.create(:name => 'joe')
         Person.should_be_different :count do
             Person.create(:name => 'bob')
         end
     end

This has probably already been done, but I thought I'd put it out  
here for comment in case it hadn't. Note that if you omit the method,  
the objects are tested for equality (however the object defines it).  
If you include the method but omit the difference, then any amount  
difference is ok. Testing destroy might indicate using -1 for the  
difference to indicate that the count has gone down.

My implementation works, but a more natural syntax would be:

Person.count.should_be_different do
	blah
end

and:

Person.count.should_be_different_by 1 do
	blah, blah
end

Comments?

Steve