Question

My test in section 8.1.1 is failing, when the tutorial says it should pass. There is a similar, closed question here . My question is different than that one because my test produces 17 failures instead of 15.

Failures:

  1) Authentication signin page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit signin_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x529d880>:0x52a3970>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/authentication_pages_spec.rb:8:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  2) Authentication signin page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit signin_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x529d880>:0x48f2238>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/authentication_pages_spec.rb:8:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  3) Static pages Home page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit root_path }
     NameError:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<RSpec::Core::ExampleGroup::Nested_3::Nested_1:0x44ae8e0>
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:8:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  4) Static pages Home page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit root_path }
     NameError:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<RSpec::Core::ExampleGroup::Nested_3::Nested_1:0x42bb2c0>
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:8:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  5) Static pages Home page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit root_path }
     NameError:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<RSpec::Core::ExampleGroup::Nested_3::Nested_1:0x42f6120>
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:8:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  6) Static pages Help page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit help_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4c59f00>:0x4c62d08>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:16:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  7) Static pages Help page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit help_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4c59f00>:0x311a0c0>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:16:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  8) Static pages About page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit about_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4c59f00>:0x3fdc578>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:23:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  9) Static pages About page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit about_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4c59f00>:0x47fdac8>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:23:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  10) Static pages Contact page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit contact_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4c59f00>:0x3ddd330>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:30:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  11) Static pages Contact page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit contact_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4c59f00>:0x4cea548>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:30:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  12) User pages profile page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit user_path(user) }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4e20a00>:0x4e2a1c8>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:9:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  13) User pages profile page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit user_path(user) }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4e20a00>:0x3fdf0e0>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:9:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  14) User pages signup page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit signup_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4e20a00>:0x48f8a60>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:16:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  15) User pages signup page 
     Failure/Error: before { visit signup_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4e20a00>:0x4ccddd8>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:16:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  16) User pages signup with invalid information should not create a user
     Failure/Error: before { visit signup_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4e20a00>:0x4dffdf0>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:24:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  17) User pages signup with valid information should create a user
     Failure/Error: before { visit signup_path }
     ActionView::Template::Error:
       undefined local variable or method `root_path' for #<#<Class:0x4e20a00>:0x3113700>
     # ./app/views/layouts/_header.html.erb:4:in `_app_views_layouts__header_html_erb___509603306_33401520'
     # ./app/views/layouts/application.html.erb:11:in `_app_views_layouts_application_html_erb___981332443_30718356'
     # ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:24:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

Finished in 7.96 seconds
37 examples, 17 failures

Failed examples:

rspec ./spec/requests/authentication_pages_spec.rb:10 # Authentication signin page 
rspec ./spec/requests/authentication_pages_spec.rb:11 # Authentication signin page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:10 # Static pages Home page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:11 # Static pages Home page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:12 # Static pages Home page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:18 # Static pages Help page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:19 # Static pages Help page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:25 # Static pages About page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:26 # Static pages About page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:32 # Static pages Contact page 
rspec ./spec/requests/static_pages_spec.rb:33 # Static pages Contact page 
rspec ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:11 # User pages profile page 
rspec ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:12 # User pages profile page 
rspec ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:18 # User pages signup page 
rspec ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:19 # User pages signup page 
rspec ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:29 # User pages signup with invalid information should not create a user
rspec ./spec/requests/user_pages_spec.rb:42 # User pages signup with valid information should create a user

Answer 1

As the errors make very obvious, I had somehow removed the root path from my routes.rb file. Once I put the following line back in, all the tests passed:

root to: 'static_pages#home'