[rspec-users] How to spec code with multiple (interacting) paths

[Jerry West]

I doubt there is an ideal solution.  You might try to encapsulate the 
different behaviours in different classes (each spec'd separately).  
Where there are true alternatives, you could use SimpleDelegator to 
delegate to the appropriate class depending on your flag.  No less work 
but conceptually cleaner perhaps.

Alternatively (better?) work to eliminate the flag. especially if it's a 
do / don't do choice.  If you don't need to do something, don't call the 
code.  Push the decision and hence the spec up a level.  The calling 
routine should not do anything if the flag is false.  This is the 
boundary case of delegation: there's no need to spec a class that 
doesn't do anything.

Lastly, you might think of the spec from the point of view of the flag, 
not the object.  In other words, the customer wants something to happen 
under these circumstances and these other things to happen under those 
circumstances.  Write your code to match these specs and refactor the 
commonality into shared routines, using your specs to increase your 
confidence that you haven't introduced (too many!) bugs.  BTW, it's 
almost always possible to change code somewhere and still pass the spec 
- the trick is to write the spec before you change the code!  BDD isn't 
a guarantee of correctness, merely an aid to design and coding that 
increases your confidence that your code will do (only) what is required.

Best wishes,
  Jerry
> I can't find an ideal solution to this situation, but unfortunately  
> it crops up quite often for me.  Has anyone got any experiences or  
> opinions that will help?
>
> Cheers
> Ashley
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