This document discusses mocking dependencies in PHPUnit tests. It begins by defining dependencies and dependency injection, and why it is important to mock dependencies in unit tests. It then covers defining test doubles like mocks, stubs, and dummies to simulate dependencies. Various examples are provided for mocking different types of dependencies, like APIs, databases, and external data sources. The goal of mocking is to test units of code in isolation without relying on other components, in order to make tests faster and more reliable.

1. Mocking Dependencies in
PHPUnit
Matt Frost · IRC: mfrost503 · Feedback: http://joind.in/8693

2. We’ll be covering
✤ Defining dependencies
✤ Dependency Injection
✤ Test Doubles in Theory
✤ Test Doubles in Practice

3. What’s a dependency
✤ Unit Test Context
✤ A unit(s) of code that adds functionality to another unit of code
✤ Think system dependencies, but much smaller scale

4. Why mock them?
✤ Unit tests should cover a single unit of code in isolation
✤ A bug in a dependency makes your test a guessing game
✤ We only want to know that the code we’re testing works

5. Dependencies in the wild
class Auth
{
private $user;
public function __construct(User $user)
{
$this->user = $user;
}
public function authenticate()
{
$username = $this->user->getUserName();
$password = $this->user->getHash();
$this->checkLogin($username,$password);
}
}
Dependency Alert!

6. Don’t do this!
class Auth{ public function authenticate($username, $pass){ $user = new User($username, $pass);$username = $user->getUserName();$password = $user->getHash();$this->checkLogin($username,$password);}
User cannot be
mocked

7. Dependency Injection
✤ Helps make code testable
✤ Helps make code flexible
✤ Constructor/Accessor methods

8. MOAR Dependency Injection
✤ Dependencies become properties in the object in which they’re used
✤ Paramount for mocking in unit tests!

9. Mocking

10. Defining Test Doubles
✤ Stand in for actual objects (think Stunt Doubles)
✤ Can simulate functionality from those objects
✤ Can fulfill the requirements of a type hinted method
✤ Can be used to make sure a method on the mock is called

11. A few more points
✤ Can’t directly mock private or protected methods
✤ Only mock what you need to test
✤ In a pinch, Reflection API can help test private/protected

12. Theory
✤ Unit Test shouldn’t be dependent on external data source availability
✤ Unit Test vs. Integration Test
✤ “How do I know if my query is right?”
✤ You’re testing code, not network availability

13. Types of Test Doubles
✤ Mock
✤ Stub
✤ Dummy
✤ Spy

14. Mock
✤ Verifies that a method has been called correctly
✤ Doesn’t generate a response

15. Anatomy of a Mock
✤ Expectation
✤ Method
✤ Parameters (if applicable)

16. Mock Example
public function testSetUser()
{
$user = $this->getMock('User',array('setUserId'));
$user->expects($this->once())
->method('setUserId')
->with(1);
$post = new Post($user);
$post->retrieve(10);
$post->getUserInfo();
}

17. Explanation
✤ Supposes $user->setUserId(1) will be called in the test
✤ Fails if $user->setUserId(1) is not called

18. Mock Implementation
public function getUserInfo()
{
// assume $this->data is populated from
// the $post->retrieve($id) method
$userId = $this->data['user_id'];
$this->user->setUserId($userId);
return $this->user->retrieve();
}
This is an example of code that would pass the previous test,
it’s a fictional example...so I wouldn’t use the code :)

19. Test Stub
✤ Ensures a method is a called correctly
✤ Generates a “fake response”
✤ Response allows for different cases to be tested

20. Response

21. Stub Example
public function testGetUserInfo()
{
$userInfo = array(
'first_name' => 'Joe',
'last_name' => 'Strummer',
'id' => 1,
'email' => 'joe.strummer@gmail.com'
);
$user = $this->getMock('User', array('retrieve'));
$user->expects($this->once())
->method('retrieve')
->will($this->returnValue($userInfo));
...

22. Stub Example Cont’d
...
$post = new Post($user);
$post->retrieve(10);
$information = $post->getUserInfo();
$this->assertEquals('Joe',$information['first_name']);
$this->assertEquals('Strummer',$information['last_name']);
}
Here we’re asserting that retrieve is called correctly by validating
that we get back what we expect

23. Dummy
✤ It’s a place holder
✤ It has no expectations or behavior
✤ It satisfies a parameter list...

24. Dummy Example
<?php
class Comment
{
public function __construct($comment, User $user)
{
...
}
public function validateComment()
{
//doesn't rely on User at all
}
}

25. Dummy Example
public function testValidateComment()
{
$user = $this->getMock('User');
$commentText = "<script></script>";
$comment = new Comment($commentText,$user);
$this->assertFalse($comment->validateComment());
}
User fulfills the method signature, but doesn’t get used

26. Practical Examples!
✤ External Data Sources - don’t talk to em!
✤ APIs
✤ Database Responses

27. Stubbing PDO
✤ Constructor is not serializable, we must adapt!
✤ PDO::prepare - returns a PDO Statement (which we can stub)
✤ We can easily cover a variety of outcomes

28. Constructor
<?phpclass PDOTestHelper extends PDO{ public function __construct(){}}
Overridden constructor
allows us to mock!

29. Setup/TearDown
public function setUp()
{
$this->pdo = $this->getMock('PDOTestHelper');
$this->statement = $this->getMock('PDOStatement');
}
public function tearDown()
{
unset($pdo);
unset($statement);
}

30. Stubbing a prepared statement
$this->pdo->expects($this->once())
->method('prepare')
->with($this->stringContains('SELECT * from table'))
->will($this->returnValue($this->statement))
Prepare will return a PDOStatement when executed successfully, so in
order to stub the preparation and execution of the query, this is how we
need to start.

31. Stubbing the execute call
$this->statement->expects($this->once())
->method('execute')
->with($this->isType('array'))
->will($this->returnValue($this->statement));
Since we’re expecting this call to succeed, we need to return the
statement again. Once we get the statement back, we’ve successfully
simulated the preparation and execution of a query!

32. Stubbing Fetch!
$simData = array(
‘id‘ => 1,
‘firstName‘ => ‘Lloyd’,
‘lastName‘ => ‘Christmas’,
‘occupation‘ => ‘Dog Groomer’
);
$this->statement->expects($this->once())
->method('fetch')
->will($this->returnValue($simData));

33. Returning Data
✤ Data Fixtures
✤ Data Providers
✤ Data should resemble what you expect to get back

34. Mocking API Calls
✤ Wrap it up, not just for testing for your own sanity!
✤ Once it’s wrapped it can be mocked like anything else
✤ Spies!
✤ Don’t talk to the API

35. Spies
✤ Helpful in making sure your method was called
✤ Or called a certain number of times
✤ Not commonly used, but I’ve found good use in testing APIs

36. Practical API Testing
✤ Generally, mocks suffice!
✤ If the method is transforming data, stub it!
✤ Spies are good to track multiple calls in same method

37. API Example
public function testGetTweets()
{
//mock example
$request = $this->getMock('Request',array('get'));
$request->expects($this->once())
->method('get')
->with('statuses');
$twitter = new Twitter($request);
$twitter->getTweets();
}

38. Spy Example
public function testComplicatedMethod()
{
//spy example
$request = $this->getMock('Request',array('get'));
$request->expects($this->exactly(3))
->method('get');
$twitter = new Twitter($request);
$twitter->complicatedMethod();
}

39. Helpful Tidbits - With()
✤ isType(String $type) - check by type
✤ stringContains($value) - string parameter
✤ contains($value) - array parameter
✤ hasArrayKey($key)
✤ greaterThan($value)
✤ isInstanceOf($className)
✤ matchesRegularExpression($pattern)
✤ equalTo($value)

40. Summary
✤ Injected Dependencies = Increased Testability
✤ Mock/Stub/Dummy
✤ Don’t do more than you need to!
✤ Practice makes perfect

41. Victory!
Mocking effectively leads to better tests and better tests lead to
better applications!

42. Thank you!
✤ Freenode: mfrost503
✤ Joind.in: http://joind.in/8693