solr + autotest = continuously running tests

You just implemented solr on your Rails app. You’re happy as a jaybird. Later you make some change that causes a test to fail. Autotest prints out the failed test and then…runs again? And again and again and again….

Just tell me how to fix it

Add “solr” to your .autotest file’s exceptions. Don’t have one? Here’s what it’ll look like:

Longer version

What’s happening is simple to explain - Autotest is detecting that some file has changed and, as it’s programmed to do, reruns your tests. The problem is that the file that has changed is one or many of your solr index files. And the solr index files are changing all the time leading autotest to continuously believe it must rerun the tests.