ubermajestix · September 5, 2012 20:35 · Sep 5, 2012
diff --git a/inspector.rb b/inspector.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+# When an RSpec test like this fails,
+# 
+#   @my_array.should == [@some_model, @some_model2]
+# 
+# RSpec will call inspect on each of the objects to "help" you figure out
+# what went wrong. Well, inspect will usually dump a TON OF SHIT and make trying
+# to figure out why `@my_array` is not made up of `@some_model` and `@some_model2`.
+#
+# This little module and technique helps get around that. It will redefine `inspect`
+# if you include it in your model object. 
+# 
+# You can define a whitelist of methods that inspect will dump.
+# It will always provide `object_id` at a minimum. 
+# 
+# To use it, drop it in spec/support/inspector.rb and class_eval the models to
+# override `inspect`.
+module Inspector
+
+  def inspect
+    string = "#<#{self.class.name}:#{self.object_id} "
+    fields = self.class.inspector_fields.map{|field| "#{field}: #{self.send(field)}"}
+    string << fields.join(", ") << ">"
+  end
+
+  def self.inspected
+    @inspected ||= []
+  end
+
+  def self.included source
+    # $stdout.puts "Overriding inspect on #{source}"
+    inspected << source
+    source.class_eval do
+      def self.inspector *fields
+        @inspector_fields = *fields
+      end
+
+      def self.inspector_fields
+        @inspector_fields ||= []
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+# Examples
+
+# For use when testing you can class eval the model you want
+# to override the inspect behavior on.
+User.class_eval do
+  include Inspector
+  inspector :id, :email, :company_id
+end
+
+# There's also nothing stopping you from doing this in
+# any ruby class
+class User
+  # ...
+  include Inspector
+  inspector :id, :email, :company_id
+  #...
+end
+
+puts User.new.inspect
+# => #<User:0x10c7a2f80 id: 1, email: "tyler@example.com", company_id: 1>