New version of Testing with RSpec book for 2024!

Let’s cut to the chase.

I’m excited to announce that I’ve started work on the first major update to Everyday Rails Testing with RSpec in nearly seven years!

So much has changed in the world since 2017, but two things remain steady: I still love writing software with Ruby on Rails, RSpec is still my test framework of choice, and test-driven software design leads to quality, sustainable code.

That said, nothing is ever really constant in software. Even though I still believe in the concepts presented in my book, newer versions of Rails have made it impossible to even install the sample code from the book. And, I mean, in the era of generative AI that can just write all of our tests (and code) for us, does test-driven development still matter?

You bet it does. Tests are our closest, most repeatable interfaces to the code our clients, customers, and coworkers rely on daily. Well-written tests lead to well-written code, and vice versa. We humans still matter in software development! The fundamentals are still the fundamentals, but advancements in the developer experience have made it easier to practice those fundamentals without the overhead we dealt with in the past. In other words, it’s never been a better time to learn test-driven development in Rails. And if you’ve been practicing TDD for awhile, there may be a new trick or two to learn. I know I’ve picked up some new ideas since the last edition.

In that spirit, that’s what I’m working on for the new version of Everyday Rails Testing with RSpec. Rails 7.1? Check. Ruby 3.3? You know it. Built-in Rails support for file uploads and background jobs? No question. But also, I’ll share my opinions on the right way to keep tests well-factored and maintainable. And, of course, how to use generative coding tools as a resource, and not at adversary.

That’s a lot of work. Here’s how it’ll break down. Short version, I’m hoping to have content in your hands by RailsConf in May!

Some details:

• First and foremost, if you ever purchased a copy of the book through Leanpub, you’ll have access to this version and all future versions, for as long as I’m doing them.
• If you’ve got a copy purchased through Amazon, send me an email and I’ll send you a license. No questions asked.
• Again, this release will target Rails 7.1 and Ruby 3.3. Expect a roughly yearly cadence going forward.
• Since it’s on Leanpub, you can expect to get an early look at the book once the first few chapters are more or less fleshed out.

I’m looking forward to this project, and hope you’ll join me for the ride. Thanks as always for your support!