Controller always null in Spock unit test using Grails 2.5.1 - unit-testing

Question

I am new using Grails 2.5.1. I need to run some unit and integration test but I can't make them work.
My domain class is:
class Role {
String roleName
Role(String _roleName) {
roleName = _roleName
}
static constraints = {
roleName(blank: false, nullable: false)
}
String toString(){
"$roleName"
}
}
My controller class is:
class RoleController {
static allowedMethods = [save: "POST", update: "PUT", delete: "DELETE"]
def index(Integer max) {
params.max = Math.min(max ?: 10, 100)
respond Role.list(params), model:[roleInstanceCount: Role.count()]
}
def show(Role roleInstance) {
respond roleInstance
}
def create() {
respond new Role(params)
}
...
}
Under test/unit I have the class RoleControllerSpec:
import grails.test.mixin.*
import spock.lang.*
#TestFor(RoleController)
#Mock(Role)
class RoleControllerSpec extends Specification {
def 'index action: 1 role'() {
setup:
roleInstance.save()
expect:
controller.index() == [roleInstanceList: [roleInstance], roleInstanceTotal: 1]
where:
roleInstance = new Role(roleName: "Role1")
}
def "create action"() {
setup:
controller.params.roleName = roleName
when:
def model = controller.create()
then:
model.roleInstance != null
model.roleInstance.roleName == roleName
where:
roleName = "Role1"
}
}
When I run the test with test-app -unit RoleController it give me the following exceptions:
|Configuring classpath
.
|Environment set to test
....................................
|Running without daemon...
..........................................
|Compiling 1 source files
.
|Running 2 unit tests...
|Running 2 unit tests... 1 of 2
Failure: |
index action: 1 role(accessmanagement.RoleControllerSpec)
|
Condition not satisfied:
controller.index() == [roleInstanceList: [roleInstance], roleInstanceTotal: 1]
| | | |
| null false Role1
role(RoleControllerSpec.groovy:17)
|Running 2 unit tests... 2 of 2
Failure: |
create action(accessmanagement.RoleControllerSpec)
|
java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot get property 'roleInstance' on null object
at accessmanagement.RoleControllerSpec.create action(RoleControllerSpec.groovy:34)
|Completed 2 unit tests, 2 failed in 0m 6s
.Tests FAILED
|
Error |
Forked Grails VM exited with error
It seems that controller is null in my tests.
In the first test controller.index() is null. In the second test def model = controller.create() is not creating the object, then when I try to access model.roleInstance it cannot get the property.
Any idea would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Answer 1

Since you are using respond and not simply returning a map from the controller, you need to check the model property
def 'index action: 1 role'() {
setup:
Role roleInstance = new Role(roleName: "Role1").save()
when:
controller.index()
then:
model == [roleInstanceList: [roleInstance], roleInstanceTotal: 1]
}
I would suggest you read the documentation on testing controllers https://grails.github.io/grails-doc/2.5.x/guide/testing.html#unitTestingControllers