Rspec-core: config.output_stream doesn't work with --format=documentation

[cjheath]

Add a spec_helper that sets config.output_stream as documented, with

RSpec.configure {|c| c.output_stream = File.open('saved_output', 'w') }

Run using:

rspec --format=documentation

The redirect doesn't work.

[JonRowe]

Can you provide more details about what doesn't work in your case? The above works perfectly for me.

[cjheath]

The file gets created, but nothing gets written to it. I'll attach a tiny project archive. It has a .rspec file, so you can just run

rspec spec/sample_spec.rb

rspecproblem.zip

[cjheath]

Also (and this is not an rspec issue) it doesn't meet my needs anyhow because it doesn't redirect the other standard output from the tests - enabled for example by my tracing environment variables - this is kinda the point of saving the output for me. My gist does provide a version (using fork) that works for me.

[JonRowe]

For future reference that zip is exactly the kind of thing needed for us to hunt down problems, and what I asked for via twitter in the first place ;) In this case it's a load order issue, one I thought we'd fixed.

[JonRowe]

As a work around for now load the spec helper via your .rspec file.

[cjheath]

I asked on twitter initially because I assumed that I was doing something stupid that you'd spot straight away, or that I'd stumbled on a problem you'd known about for ages and could quickly set me straight. I was a bit taken aback by your dismissive attitude at first, but on reflection I realised it should be easy to reproduce, so I did.

(While writing, I'm seeing big problems with Ruby 2.2.2 and class << self - changing my code to use singleton_class fixed it, but rspec still barfs if I stop in the debugger anywhere. Seen this? Perhaps I can repro it for you also).

[xaviershay]

Attached zip is still a correct repro, though you need to remove the included .rspec file to see it. (That's the work around that @JonRowe suggested.)

(For the class << self issue - nope doesn't ring any bells, repro appreciated though I do realise I'm 9 months late!)

[xaviershay]

I thought maybe if we got lucky #2243 would fix this but it didn't

[dzjuck]

I found a reason behind the bug: formatter on creating save current value of output_stream like this:

#<RSpec::Core::Formatters::DocumentationFormatter:0x007facd94f9358
  @example_group=nil,
  @group_level=0,
  @output=#<IO:<STDOUT>>>

After that any changes of output_stream in config will not change output of already created formatters. Also the bug may be reproduced without .rspec file, only by config:

RSpec.configure do |c| 
  c.formatter = :documentation
  c.output_stream = File.open('saved_output', 'w')
end

In this case saved_output will be empty in result.

I made a fix and will make pr soon.

[kzkn]

is this issue already fixed by #2401 ?

[pirj]

Thanks for the heas-up, @kzkn!
Tested, the above case works fine, the documentation-formatted output is saved to a file.