RSpec and stubbing ssl_required

Here's a quick rspec stubbing tip for those of you using RSpec and Spec::Rails with a need to stub out the controller behavior for ssl_required. I wrote this tip with mocha in mind, but you can easily apply this to whatever mocking/stubbing framework you may be using.

First, let's take a look at the source for the SslRequirement module, paying attention to the the before_filter bit:

module SslRequirement
  def self.included(controller)
    controller.extend(ClassMethods)
    controller.before_filter(:ensure_proper_protocol)
  end

  ...

  private
  def ensure_proper_protocol
    return true if ssl_allowed?

    if ssl_required? && !request.ssl?
      redirect_to "https://" + request.host + request.request_uri
      flash.keep
      return false
    elsif request.ssl? && !ssl_required?
      redirect_to "http://" + request.host + request.request_uri
      flash.keep
      return false
    end
  end
end

You can see that it is the private method ensure_proper_protocol that is being declared as a filter for the controller. Since a controller that declares ssl_required will automatically inherit the methods listed in SslRequirement, you can stub the SSL-checking behavior in mocha-style for your controller's behavior-driven rspec test like so:

   controller.stub!(:ensure_proper_protocol).and_return(:true) 

Just declare the above stubbing in a setup block, and you are good to go!