module RSpec::Expectations

RSpec::Expectations provides a simple, readable API to express the expected outcomes in a code example. To express an expected outcome, wrap an object or block in ‘expect`, call `to` or `to_not` (aliased as `not_to`) and pass it a matcher object:

expect(order.total).to eq(Money.new(5.55, :USD))
expect(list).to include(user)
expect(message).not_to match(/foo/)
expect { do_something }.to raise_error

The last form (the block form) is needed to match against ruby constructs that are not objects, but can only be observed when executing a block of code. This includes raising errors, throwing symbols, yielding, and changing values.

When ‘expect(…).to` is invoked with a matcher, it turns around and calls `matcher.matches?(<object wrapped by expect>)`. For example, in the expression:

expect(order.total).to eq(Money.new(5.55, :USD))

…‘eq(Money.new(5.55, :USD))` returns a matcher object, and it results in the equivalent of `eq.matches?(order.total)`. If `matches?` returns `true`, the expectation is met and execution continues. If `false`, then the spec fails with the message returned by `eq.failure_message`.

Given the expression:

expect(order.entries).not_to include(entry)

…the ‘not_to` method (also available as `to_not`) invokes the equivalent of `include.matches?(order.entries)`, but it interprets `false` as success, and `true` as a failure, using the message generated by `include.failure_message_when_negated`.

rspec-expectations ships with a standard set of useful matchers, and writing your own matchers is quite simple.

See [RSpec::Matchers](../RSpec/Matchers) for more information about the built-in matchers that ship with rspec-expectations, and how to write your own custom matchers.