# Respec APIs Testing Notes 
## Folders Structure
```
  spec
  |--- apis #do not put into controllers folder. 
        |--- your_api_test_spec.rb  
  |--- controllers
  |--- models
  |--- factories
  |--- views
  |--- helpers
  |--- supports
        |--- api_helper.rb
        |--- authentication_helper.rb
  |--- spec_helper.rb
```
*note: do not put your apis folder underneath controllers folder, otherwise, it will inherited with controller ``ActionController::TestCase::Behavior``, ``Rake::Test::Methods`` cannot be apply accordingly.

## Custom Rspec Helper for Rake::Test::Methods for api scopes.

```ruby
@spec/supports/api_helper.rb


module ApiHelper
  include Rack::Test::Methods

  def app
    Rails.application
  end
end

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.include ApiHelper, :type=>:api #apply to all spec for apis folder
end

```
## Enable Spec_helper supports
```ruby
@spec/spec_helper.rb
Dir[Rails.root.join("spec/support/**/*.rb")].each {|f| require f}
```

## API Test Spec
make sure your sample test group has type: api, then it will include Rake::Test::Methods for (``get,post,put,delete``) requests
```ruby
@spec/apis/authentication_spec.rb

require "spec_helper"

describe "API authentication" , :type => :api do

  let!(:user) { FactoryGirl.create(:user) }

  it "making a request without cookie token " do
    get "/api/v1/items/1",:formate =>:json
    last_response.status.should eql(401)
    error = {:error=>'You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.'}
    last_response.body.should  eql(error.to_json)
  end

end  

```ruby

## ``ActionController::TestCase::Behavior`` v.s. ``Rack::Test::Methods``

Rspec-Rails includes ``ActionController::TestCase::Behavior`` for simulating controller requests. 

so you could do 

```ruby

require "spec_helper"

describe Api::V1::SessionsController , :type => :api do

  let!(:user) { FactoryGirl.create(:user) }

  it "making a request without cookie token " do
    get :index
    response.status.should eql(401)
    error = {:error=>'You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.'}
    response.body.should  eql(error.to_json)
  end

end  

```

### Points of differents:
 * ``Rake::Test::Methods`` could query the url "/api/v1/xxxx", but ``ActionController::TestCase::Behavior`` only execute actions within current controller scope.
 * the reponse in ``Rake::Test::Methods`` called: last_response, in  ``ActionController::TestCase::Behavior`` called: response.

*Notes, if you change your spec/apis folder to api, you will find out the ``last_repsonse`` is not working any more. That's because the :type=> :api scope got mixed with default ActionController behavior.


# A Setp Further 

## Reusable Sign in Helper.
```ruby
@spec/supports/authentication_helper.rb

module AuthenticationHelper
  def sign_in_as_a_valid_user
      @user ||= FactoryGirl.create(:user)
      @user.reset_authentication_token! unless @user.authentication_token
      set_cookie "authentication_token=#{@user.authentication_token}"
    end
end

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.include AuthenticationHelper, :type=>:api
end
```

*Notes: The Example above used token based cookie authentication. So you could change to base-authen or token-based auth based on your own needs.

## Created a signed in user in your Test
use before_each or before_all block or include the helper method into your assertion block 
```ruby
require "spec_helper"

describe "API Items Controller", :type => :api do

  before :each do
    sign_in_as_a_valid_user
  end
  
  it "fetch all items" do
  #or include the helper method here
  sign_in_as_a_valid_user
  ...
  end
end

```