Partial mocking - expectations being ignored (Rhino Mocks) - unit-testing

I am trying to test a class similar to the example below:
public class Service : IService
{
public string A(string input)
{
int attemptCount = 5;
while (attemptCount > 0)
{
try
{
return TryA(input);
}
catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException)
{
attemptCount--;
if (attemptCount == 0)
{
throw;
}
// Attempt 5 more times
Thread.Sleep(1000);
}
}
throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException();
}
public string TryA(string input)
{
// try actions, if fail will throw ArgumentOutOfRangeException
}
}
[TestMethod]
public void Makes_5_Attempts()
{
// Arrange
var _service = MockRepository.GeneratePartialMock<Service>();
_service.Expect(x=>x.TryA(Arg<string>.Is.Anything)).IgnoreArguments().Throw(new ArgumentOutOfRangeException());
// Act
Action act = () => _service.A("");
// Assert
// Assert TryA is attempted to be called 5 times
_service.AssertWasCalled(x => x.TryA(Arg<string>.Is.Anything), opt => opt.Repeat.Times(5));
// Assert the Exception is eventually thrown
act.ShouldThrow<ArgumentOutOfRangeException>();
}
The partial mocking doesn't seem to accept my expectation. When I run the test I receive an error about the input. When I debug, I see that the actual implementation of the method is being executed instead of the expectation.
Am I doing this test correctly? According to the documentation ( http://ayende.com/wiki/Rhino%20Mocks%20Partial%20Mocks.ashx ): "A partial mock will call the method defined on the class unless you define an expectation for that method. If you have defined an expectation, it will use the normal rules for this."

It's is important to note that mocking frameworks like Rhinomocks, Moq and NSubstitute use a feature in .NET called DynamicProxy that dynamically generates a derived class of the mock in memory. Classes must:
be an interface; or
non-sealed class with parameterless constructor; or
derive from MarshalByRefObject (moq has moved away from this feature)
Methods must be part of the interface or made virtual so that alternate behaviors can be substituted at runtime.

Related

Unit tests using StructurMap ObjectFactory fails

I have a class that I want to write unit tests for. I'm using StructureMap (2.6.3) in the project and I have some problems with that.
For testing I use Nunit (2.6.0.12054) and RhinoMocks (3.6).
Normally i inject my dependencies in the constructor of my classes and then it's easy to substitute the dependencies with mocks in my unit tests. But there are a few cases where I can't do that, where I have no control over when the class under test is created. In these cases I use ObjectFactory.GetInstance() to get the dependencies.
public class MyClass
{
public int MyMethod(string parameter)
{
var myDependency = ObjectFactory.GetInstance<IMyDependency>();
try
{
return myDependency.CalculateValue(parameter);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
//Suppress exception.
return 0;
}
}
}
For this class and method I want to write two tests. First I want to to test that the dependency is called and the value it calculates is returned by the class under test. Second, the dependency might throw an exception and I want to test that this exception is suppressed by the class under test and that it return zero in that case.
[TestFixture]
public class MyClassTests()
{
[Test]
public void MyMethod_DependencyReturnsValue_ReturnsValueFromDependency
{
//Arrange.
const int valueFromDependencyStub = 333;
var myDependencyStub = MockRepository.GenerateStub<IMyDependency>();
myDependencyStub.Stub(x => x.CalculateValue()).Return(valueFromDependencyStub);
ObjectFactory.Inject<IMyDependency>(myDependencyStub);
var target = new MyClass();
//Act.
var result = target.MyMethod("test");
//Assert.
Assert.AreEqual(valueFromDependencyStub, result);
}
[Test]
public void MyMethod_DependencyThrowsException_ReturnsZero
{
//Arrange.
var myDependencyStub = MockRepository.GenerateStub<IMyDependency>();
myDependencyStub.Stub(x => x.CalculateValue()).Throw(new Exception());
ObjectFactory.Inject<IMyDependency>(myDependencyStub);
var target = new MyClass();
//Act.
var result = target.MyMethod("test");
//Assert.
Assert.AreEqual(0, result);
}
}
Both these tests work if I run them individually, but if I run the both it does not work. I my real case the second test, where the stubbed dependency throws an exception, runs first. When the other test runs the stubbed dependency still throws an exception.
The problem, as I understand it, is that I'm using the global ObjectFactory and inject my stub into that. That would probably work if I could clear the ObjectFactory after each test, but I found no way to do that. ObjectFactory.EjectAllInstancesOf() sounded like something that would work, but it doesn't.
How do I solve this? Either by changing my test or by actually rewriting the class under test.

Unit test that ensures method A called after method B

I have a code which interacts with some object and then should call finish() method on it.
void completeTransaction(PaymentTransaction transaction) {
recordTransaction(transaction.getId());
transaction.finish();
}
PaymentTransaction is some third-party class which behaviour after finish() is undefined — it may throw an exception or just fail silently.
I need to write a unit test which passes then and only then:
recordTransaction(transaction.getId()) called
transaction.finish() called
transaction.finish() called after recordTransaction(transaction.getId())
Test satisfying the above conditions should prohibit code like this:
void completeTransaction(PaymentTransaction transaction) {
transaction.finish();
recordTransaction(transaction.getId()); //oops
}
Test case for the first condition:
void testCompleteTransaction_TransactionRecorded() {
completeTransaction(transactionMock);
// assert that recordTransaction(transaction.getId())
// called with correct argument
completeTransaction(PaymentTransaction transaction)
}
For the second one:
void testCompleteTransaction_TransactionCompleted() {
completeTransaction(transactionMock);
// assert that transaction.finish() called
}
I wonder how can I enforce the 3rd condition via test case.
You could pass in a fake PaymentTransaction that overrides finish() and getId() such that finish() throws an exception if some internal flag isn't set when getId() is called.
public class FakePaymentTransaction {
private bool _getIdWasCalled = false;
public override void finish () {
if (!_getIdWasCalled) {
throw new Exception ("getId wasn't called first!");
}
}
public override /* your return type */ getId() {
_getIdWasCalled = true;
// Some other logic to return your specified return type
}
}
Now when you pass it into your SUT, you will see if the calls were made in the right order.
What you want is a mock that can verify the order of calls was as expected. You can roll your own for the specific case as suggested in James D'Angelo's answer or you could create a more generic one that works similarly.
Or you can use facilities supplied by a good mocking framework.
Mockito has, for example, an InOrder verifier that can verify the order of calls of mocked methods from a single mock or multiple mocks.
Your test case makes no sense:
Methods are called in the order you have them in the code:
In an Unit test you should not only call some methods, you should test for a correct result.
but if you want to have some fun:
public testNonsenseTest() {
int i = 0;
PaymentTransaction transaction = new PaymentTransaction();
int transactionId = transaction.getId());
recordTransaction(transactionId);
i++;
assertEquals(1, i);
transaction.finish();
i++;
assertEquals(2, i);
}

JUnit for Functions with Void Return Values

I've been working on a Java application where I have to use JUnit for testing. I am learning it as I go. So far I find it to be useful, especially when used in conjunction with the Eclipse JUnit plugin.
After playing around a bit, I developed a consistent method for building my unit tests for functions with no return values. I wanted to share it here and ask others to comment. Do you have any suggested improvements or alternative ways to accomplish the same goal?
Common Return Values
First, there's an enumeration which is used to store values representing test outcomes.
public enum UnitTestReturnValues
{
noException,
unexpectedException
// etc...
}
Generalized Test
Let's say a unit test is being written for:
public class SomeClass
{
public void targetFunction (int x, int y)
{
// ...
}
}
The JUnit test class would be created:
import junit.framework.TestCase;
public class TestSomeClass extends TestCase
{
// ...
}
Within this class, I create a function which is used for every call to the target function being tested. It catches all exceptions and returns a message based on the outcome. For example:
public class TestSomeClass extends TestCase
{
private UnitTestReturnValues callTargetFunction (int x, int y)
{
UnitTestReturnValues outcome = UnitTestReturnValues.noException;
SomeClass testObj = new SomeClass ();
try
{
testObj.targetFunction (x, y);
}
catch (Exception e)
{
UnitTestReturnValues.unexpectedException;
}
return outcome;
}
}
JUnit Tests
Functions called by JUnit begin with a lowercase "test" in the function name, and they fail at the first failed assertion. To run multiple tests on the targetFunction above, it would be written as:
public class TestSomeClass extends TestCase
{
public void testTargetFunctionNegatives ()
{
assertEquals (
callTargetFunction (-1, -1),
UnitTestReturnValues.noException);
}
public void testTargetFunctionZeros ()
{
assertEquals (
callTargetFunction (0, 0),
UnitTestReturnValues.noException);
}
// and so on...
}
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or improvements. Keep in mind that I am in the process of learning how to use JUnit, so I'm sure there are existing tools available that might make this process easier. Thanks!
It is true that if you are using JUnit 3, and you are testing whether a particular exception is thrown or not thrown within a method, you will need to use something like the try-catch pattern you define above.
However:
1) I'd argue that there is a lot more to testing a method with a void return value then checking for exceptions: is your method making the correct calls to (presumably mocked) dependencies; does it behave differently when the class is initialized with a different context or different sets of dependencies, etc. By wrapping all calls to that method, you make it hard to change other aspects of your test.
I'm also generally opposed to adding code and adding complexity if it can be avoided; I don't think it's a burden to have to put a try/catch in a given test when it's checking for exceptions.
2) Switch to JUnit 4! It makes it easy to check for expected exceptions:
#Test(expected=IndexOutOfBoundsException.class)
public void testIndexOutOfBoundsException() {
ArrayList emptyList = new ArrayList();
Object o = emptyList.get(0);
}
If you have the possibility, you should upgrade to JUnit 4.x.
Then your first example can be rewritten to:
#Test(expected=RuntimeException.class)
public void testTargetFunction() {
testObj.targetFunction (x, y);
}
The advantage here is that you can remove you the private UnitTestReturnValues callTargetFunction (int x, int y) method and use JUnit's built in support for expecting exceptions.
You should also test for specific exceptions instead.
Looks like you reimplemented most of JUnit :) In general you don't need to do it. You just call the function you want to call and compare results. If it throws an exception, JUnit will catch if for you and fail the test. If you expect an exception, either you can use the explicit annotation if you are using JUnit 4, or you can use the following pattern:
public void testThrows()
{
try {
obj.DoSth(); //this should throw MyException
assertFail("Expected exception");
} catch (MyException e) {
//assert the message etc
}
}
again, if obj.DoSth() throws a different exception JUnit will fail the test.
So to sum up, I am afraid I believe your approach is overcomplicated, sorry.
please correct me if I am wrong. As I understood from the provided code you're only checking if there may be an exception while executing the function. But you're actually not verifying, if the called functions "works" correctly unless the only way to end in case of an error would be an exception. I suggest writing additional tests like this:
public void testTargetFunctionSomeValue() {
int someValue = 0;
callTargetFunction(someValue, someValue);
assertTrue(verifyTargetFunction(someValue, someValue));
}
public boolean verifyTargetFucntion(int someValue, int someValue) {
// verify that execution of targetFunction made expected changes.
. . . . .
}
and the verifyTargetFunction would acutally check, if calling targetFunction would have made the expected changes - let's say to a database table by returning true or false.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Markus

Moq and accessing called parameters

I've just started to implement unit tests (using xUnit and Moq) on an already established project of mine. The project extensively uses dependency injection via the unity container.
I have two services A and B. Service A is the one being tested in this case. Service A calls B and gives it a delegate to an internal function. This 'callback' is used to notify A when a message has been received that it must handle.
Hence A calls (where b is an instance of service B):
b.RegisterHandler(Guid id, Action<byte[]> messageHandler);
In order to test service A, I need to be able to call messageHandler, as this is the only way it currently accepts messages.
Can this be done using Moq? ie. Can I mock service B, such that when RegisterHandler is called, the value of messageHandler is passed out to my test?
Or do I need to redesign this? Are there any design patterns I should be using in this case? Does anyone know of any good resources on this kind of design?
You can get an instance of the callback (or any other input parameter) by using the Callback (the name similarity is incidental) method on the Mock:
[TestMethod]
public void Test19()
{
Action<byte[]> callback = null;
var bSpy = new Mock<IServiceB>();
bSpy.Setup(b => b.RegisterHandler(It.IsAny<Guid>(), It.IsAny<Action<byte[]>>()))
.Callback((Guid g, Action<byte[]> a) => callback = a);
var sut = new ServiceA(bSpy.Object);
sut.RegisterCallback();
Assert.AreEqual(sut.Do, callback);
}
This works when ServiceA is defined as this:
public class ServiceA
{
private readonly IServiceB b;
public ServiceA(IServiceB b)
{
if (b == null)
{
throw new ArgumentNullException("b");
}
this.b = b;
}
public void RegisterCallback()
{
this.b.RegisterHandler(Guid.NewGuid(), this.Do);
}
public void Do(byte[] bytes)
{
}
}
Yes you can setup the Moq object to respond to expected and unexpected operations.
Here's a Visual Studio Unit Test example...
[TestMethod]
public void MyTest()
{
var moqObject = new Mock<ServiceB>();
// Setup the mock object to throw an exception if a certain value is passed to it...
moqObject.Setup(b => b.RegisterHandle(unexpectedValue).Throws(new ArgumentException());
// Or, setup the mock object to expect a certain method call...
moqObject.Setup(b => b.RegisterHandle(expectedValue));
var serviceA = new ServiceA(moqObject.Object);
serviceA.DoSomethingToTest();
// This will throw an exception if an expected operation didn't happen...
moqObject.VerifyAll();
}

How to use Rhino Mock to mock a local function calling?

Here is my situation:
I want to test on the "HasSomething()" function, which is in the following class:
public class Something
{
private object _thing;
public virtual bool HasSomething()
{
if (HasSomething(_thing))
return true;
return false;
}
public virtual bool HasSomething(object thing)
{
....some algo here to check on the object...
return true;
}
}
So, i write my test to be like this:
public void HasSomethingTest1()
{
MockRepository mocks = new MockRepository();
Something target = mocks.DynamicMock(typeof(Something)) as Something;
Expect.Call(target.HasSomething(new Object())).IgnoreArguments().Return(true);
bool expected = true;
bool actual;
actual = target.HasSomething();
Assert.AreEqual(expected, actual);
}
Is my test written correctly?
Please help me as i can't even get the result as expected. the "HasSomething(object)" just can't be mock in that way. it did not return me 'true' as being set in expectation.
Thanks.
In response to OP's 'answer': Your main problem is that RhinoMocks does not mock members of classes - instead it creates mock classes and we can then set expectations and canned responses for its members (i.e. Properties and Functions). If you attempt to test a member function of a mock/stub class, you run the risk of testing the mocking framework rather than your implementation.
For the particular scenario of the logical path being dependent on the return value of a local (usually private) function, you really need an external dependency (another object) which would affect the return value that you require from that local function. For your code snippet above, I would write the test as follows:
[Test]
public void TestHasSomething()
{
// here I am assuming that _thing is being injected in via the constructor
// you could also do it via a property setter or a function
var sut = new Something(new object());
Assert.IsTrue(sut.HasSomething);
}
i.e. no mocking required.
This is one point of misunderstanding that I often had in the past with regards to mocking; we mock the behaviour of a dependency of the system under test (SUT). Something like: the SUT calls several methods of the dependency and the mocking process provides canned responses (rather than going to the database, etc) to guide the way the logic flows.
A simple example would be as follows (note that I have used RhinoMocks AAA syntax for this test. As an aside, I notice that the syntax that you are using in your code sample is using the Record-Replay paradigm, except that it isn't using Record and Replay! That would probably cause problems as well):
public class SUT
{
Dependency _depend
public SUT (Dependency depend)
{
_depend = depend;
}
...
public int MethodUnderTest()
{
if (_depend.IsReady)
return 1;
else
return -1;
}
}
...
[Test]
public void TestSUT_MethodUnderTest()
{
var dependency = MockRepository.GenerateMock<Dependency>();
dependency.Stub(d => d.IsReady).Return(true);
var sut = new SUT(dependency);
Assert.AreEqual(1, sut.MethodUnderTest());
}
And so the problem that you have is that you are attempting to test the behaviour of a mocked object. Which means that you aren't actually testing your class at all!
In a case like this, your test double should be a derived version of class Something. Then you override the method HasSomething(object) and ensure that HasSomething() calls your one.
If I understand correctly, you are actually interested in testing the method HasDynamicFlow (not depicted in your example above) without concerning yourself with the algorithm for HasSomething.
Preet is right in that you could simply subclass Something and override the behavior of HasSomething to short-circuit the algorithm, but that would require creating some additional test-dummy code which Rhino is efficient at eliminating.
Consider using a Partial Mock Stub instead of a Dynamic Mock. A stub is less strict and is ideal for working with Properties. Methods however require some extra effort.
[Test]
public void CanStubMethod()
{
Foo foo = MockRepository.GenerateStub<Foo>();
foo.Expect(f => f.HasDynamicFlow()).CallOriginalMethod(OriginalCallOptions.NoExpectation);
foo.Expect(f => f.HasSomething()).CallOriginalMethod(OriginalCallOptions.NoExpectation);
foo.Expect(f => f.HasSomething(null)).IgnoreArguments().Return(true);
Assert.IsTrue(foo.HasDynamicFlow());
}
EDIT: added code example and switched Partial Mock to Stub