When testing out a complex website, replicating the |open|/selenium/setup?fixtures=x| line would be painful!

So, Add a const at the beginning of the setup_controller in Selenium Plugin at
./vendor/plugins/selenium_on_rails/lib/controllers/selenium_controller.rb:

MY_FIXTURES = “table_a, table_b, table_c”

Also alter #setup as so :

def setup
    unless params.has_key? :keep_session
      reset_session
      @session_wiped = true
    end
    if params[:fixtures] == “all“
      fixtures = PM_FIXTURES
    end
    fixtures ||= params[:fixtures].to_s
    @loaded_fixtures = load_fixtures fixtures
    render :file => view_path('setup.rhtml'), :layout => layout_path
  end

New lines are 6-9, and the change on 10 from referencing params[] to the local var fixtures.

Then, use this in the selenese script :

|open|/selenium/setup?fixtures=all|

Isn’t that beautiful!??

Now I don’t have to endure copy-paste-age-break hell on my fixtures configuration.

Ahhh, Ruby is so nice!

The Strategy Pattern really resolves to “composition” in practice. This OO technique says to take components that could change at runtime and encapsulate them in their own objects. The master-object is then “composed” of instances of the dependent clasess.

Example:

class Duck
  def fly
    puts ‘Flap Flap’
  end

  def quack
    puts ‘Quack!’
  end
end

d = <span class="constant">Duck.new
d.flap
d.quack

Produces:

Flap Flap
Quack!

So now handle the en-user request to have ducks with different flap :

class FlapWings
  def fly
    puts ‘Flap Flap’
  end
end

class FlapSoaring
  def fly
    puts ‘Soaring in the wind’
  end
end

class Duck
  def initialize (flapInstance)
    @flapDelegate = flapInstance
  end
  def changeFlap(flapInstance)
    @flapDelegate = flapInstance
  end
  def fly
    @flapDelegate.fly
  end

  def quack
    puts ‘Quack!’
  end
end

mallard = Duck.new(FlapWings.new)
mallard.fly
mallard.quack
mallard.changeFlap(FlapSoaring.new)
mallard.fly

Now produces :

Flap Flap
Quack!
Soaring in the wind

This example looks trivial. The technique is powerful. Behold that in Java/C#, this requires a lot of effort including Inheritance and Interfaces.

Nice that Ruby allows this run-time change through duck-typing!!