In a Rails controller test, how to access a different controller action?

Question

In a functional test, I want to call an action in another controller.

Answer 1

You have to set the @controller instance variable to the controller that should be used.

Example usage in a test helper method (of course you don't need to use it in a helper method - you can use it right in your test method):

def login(user_name='user', password='asdfasdf')

    # save the current controller
    old_controller = @controller

    # use the login controller
    @controller = LoginController.new       # <---

    # perform the actual login
    post :login, user_login: user_name, user_password: password
    assert_redirected_to controller: 'welcome', action: 'index'

    # check the users's values in the session
    assert_not_nil session[:user]

    assert_equal session[:user], User.find_by_login('user')

    # restore the original controller
    @controller = old_controller

end

Answered by Jonathan Weiss, in 2006 on ruby-forum: post() to other controller in functional test?

It should be noted that, for the most part (probably >99.9% of the time), one should use integration tests (aka feature tests) for testing inter-controller behaviour.