Unit Testing With Computer Owned States - c#

I am writing a unit test for when my computer receives/makes a phone call.
The methods being tested are the events that handle the incoming/outgoing call. If the caller is not an approved caller then the call is rejected.
The code works fine, but I can't really find anything to test against for my unit test. The problem is that the actual state of "if my computer is in a call or not" is not controlled my by class. Only the computer knows if a call is currently connected or not.
I am hoping that there are some Unit Test Guru's out there than can tell me what to do to test this scenario. I do not want to create a dummy var that has no relation to my code just to make my unit test pass.
To make this a bit more concrete here is my unit test:
private DeviceMediator deviceMediator;
private IDeviceControlForm deviceControlForm;
private IDataAccess data;
private ICallMonitor callMonitor;
// Use TestInitialize to run code before running each test
[TestInitialize()]
public void MyTestInitialize()
{
deviceControlForm = MockRepository.GenerateStub<IDeviceControlForm>();
data = MockRepository.GenerateStub<IDataAccess>();
callMonitor = MockRepository.GenerateStub<ICallMonitor>();
deviceMediator = new DeviceMediator(deviceControlForm, data)
{CallMonitor = callMonitor};
}
[TestMethod]
public void TestHandleIncomingCall()
{
//Arrange
//Act
deviceMediator.OnIncomingCall(null, new CallState(),
new CallInfoState());
//Assert
// I could not find anything to feasably test on this.
Assert.IsTrue(true);
}
and here is the method it is calling:
public void OnIncomingCall(Call call, CallState callState,
CallInfoState callInfoState)
{
// See if this call is on our list of approved callers
bool callApproved = false;
foreach (PhoneContact phoneContact in Whitelist)
{
if (phoneContact.PhoneNumber == call.CallerID)
callApproved = true;
}
// If this is not an approved call then
if (!callApproved)
CallMonitor.Hangup();
}

Turns out I just did not know enough about Rhino Mocks. The answer to this issue can be found here.
This is my code with that answer incorporated.
Unit Test:
[TestMethod]
public void TestHandleIncomingCall()
{
//Arrange
callMonitor.InCall = true;
// This is the magic. When Hangup is called I am able to set
// the stub's InCall value to false.
callMonitor.Expect(x => x.Hangup()).Callback(() => WhenCalled(invocation =>
{
callMonitor.InCall = false;
});
List<PhoneContact> whiteList = FillTestObjects.GetSingleEntryWhiteList();
data.Expect(x => x.GetWhiteListData()).Return(whiteList);
const string invalidPhoneNumber = "123";
//Act
deviceMediator.HandleIncomingCall(invalidPhoneNumber);
//Assert
Assert.IsFalse(callMonitor.InCall);
}
I had to change my code to this because Call has an internal constructor:
public void OnIncomingCall(Call call, CallState callState,
CallInfoState callInfoState)
{
// See if this call is on our list of approved callers
HandleIncomingCall(call.CallerID);
}
public void HandleIncomingCall(string callNumber)
{
bool callApproved = false;
foreach (PhoneContact phoneContact in Whitelist)
{
if (phoneContact.PhoneNumber == callNumber)
callApproved = true;
}
// If this is not an approved call then
if (!callApproved)
CallMonitor.Hangup();
}

It's called dependancy injection. You make your code act on an interface that mimics the real Phone api, and supply your own controllable implementation for the tests. There are systems out there like Spring.Net that make this easier to do.

Here's a couple things you could do:
You could create a mock WhiteList collection that will contain a certain set of the PhoneContacts, and then call OnIncomingCall with PhoneContacts that are or are not in the WhiteList and then check the CallMonitor (or the Call object itself, I suppose) to see if the call is in the correct state. So Assert.IsTrue(call.IsConnected) or Assert.IsFalse(call.IsConnected) depending on the scenario you're testing.
You could also see if the method handles Call objects that are null or that are not in the correct state at the point where this method is being called.

Related

Unit test for void method with Interface as parameter

New to Unit testing, I have below sample code and I want to create a unit test for this , Please suggest what should i do to create a unit test for this ? any link or pointers would be helpful to start
public class UserNotification : Work
{
public override void Execute(IWorkContext iwc)
{
throw new InvalidWorkException($"some message:{iwc.Name} and :{iwc.Dept}");
}
}
Edit: using MSTest for Unit testing
First, you need a test project alongside with your regular project.
You can pick from these three:
MSTest
nUnit
xUnit
All of these should have a project template in VS2022.
xUnit is a popular one, so let's pick that. The usual naming convention for test projects is YourProject.Tests. Rename UnitTest1.cs class to UserNotificationTests.cs.
As simple as it gets, you can now start writing your tests. In xUnit, a method with [Fact] attribute is a test method.
using Xunit;
namespace MyProject.Tests
{
public class UserNotificationTests
{
[Fact]
public void Execute_Should_Throw_InvalidWorkException_With_Message()
{
}
}
}
Don't think these methods as the methods in the code, naming should be close to English sentences and should reveal the intent as a regular sentence.
Classic approach to unit testing has three phases:
Arrange: Take instances of your objects, set your expected output, mock dependencies, make them ready.
Act: Call the actual action you want to test.
Assert: Check if how your actual output relates to your expected output.
Let's start with arranging.
We need a new instance of UserNotification class so we can call Execute().
We need any dummy IWorkContext object so we can pass it. We'll use NSubstitute library for that.
// Don't forget to add using NSubstitute
// Arrange
var userNotification = new UserNotification();
var workContext = Substitute.For<IWorkContext>();
workContext.Name = "testName";
workContext.Dept = "testDept";
Now you act, and invoke your method:
// Act
Action act = () => userNotification.Execute(workContext);
And lastly we assert. I highly recommend FluentAssertations library for asserting.
// Assert
act.Should().Throw<InvalidWorkException>()
.WithMessage($"some message:{workContext.Name} and :{workContext.Dept}");
Navigate to View > Test Explorer and run your tests, you should see something similar to this:
Congratulations, you wrote your first unit test.
Here's the final version of your test code:
using FluentAssertions;
using NSubstitute;
using System;
using Xunit;
namespace MyProject.Tests
{
public class UserNotificationTests
{
[Fact]
public void Execute_Should_Throw_InvalidWorkException_With_Message()
{
// Arrange
var userNotification = new UserNotification();
var workContext = Substitute.For<IWorkContext>();
workContext.Name = "testName";
workContext.Dept = "testDept";
// Act
Action act = () => userNotification.Execute(workContext);
// Assert
act.Should().Throw<InvalidWorkException>()
.WithMessage($"some message:{workContext.Name} and :{workContext.Dept}");
}
}
public class UserNotification : Work
{
public override void Execute(IWorkContext iwc)
{
throw new InvalidWorkException($"some message:{iwc.Name} and :{iwc.Dept}");
}
}
public abstract class Work
{
public virtual void Execute(IWorkContext iwc) { }
}
public interface IWorkContext
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Dept { get; set; }
}
public class InvalidWorkException : System.Exception
{
public InvalidWorkException() { }
public InvalidWorkException(string message) : base(message) { }
public InvalidWorkException(string message, System.Exception inner) : base(message, inner) { }
protected InvalidWorkException(
System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo info,
System.Runtime.Serialization.StreamingContext context) : base(info, context) { }
}
}
Writing tests feels a lot different than writing regular code. But in time you'll get the hang of it. How to mock, how to act, how to assert, these may vary depending on what you are testing. The main point is to isolate the main thing you want to unit test, and mock the rest.
Good luck!
Because your title mentions specifically that you're trying to test a method with a void return type; I infer that you've already been testing methods with actual return values, and therefore that you already have a test project and know how to run a test once it is written. If not; the answer written by Mithgroth is a good explanation on how to get started on testing in general.
Your test is defined by the behavior that you wish to test. Your snippet has no behavior, which makes it hard to give you a concrete answer.
I've opted to rewrite your example:
public class UserNotification : Work
{
public override void Execute(IWorkContext iwc)
{
var splines = iwc.GetSplines();
iwc.Reticulate(splines);
}
}
Now we have some behavior that we want to test. The test goal is to answer the following question:
When calling Execute, does UserNotification fetch the needed splines and reticulate them?
When unit testing, you want to mock all other things. In this case, the IWorkContext is an external dependency, so it should be mocked. Mocking the work context allows us to easily configure the mock to help with the testing. When we run the test, we will pass an IWorkContext object which acts as a spy. In essence, this mocked object will:
... have been set up to return a very specific set of splines, one that we chose for the test's purpose.
... secretly record any calls made to the Reticulate method, and tracks the parameters that were passed into it.
Before we get into the nitty gritty on how to mock, we can already outline how our test is going to go:
[Test]
public void ReticulatesTheContextSplines()
{
// Arrange
IWorkContext mockedContext = ...; // This comes later
UserNotification userNotification = new UserNotification();
// Act
userNotification.Execute(mockedContext);
// Assert
// Confirm that Reticulate() was called
// Confirm that Reticulate() was given the result from `GetSplines()`
}
There's your basic unit test. All that's left is to create our mock.
You can write this yourself if you want. Simply create a new class that implements IWorkContext, and give it some more public properties/methods to help you keep track of things. A very simple example would be:
public class MockedWorkContext : IWorkContext
{
// Allows the test to set the returned result
public IEnumerable<Spline> Splines { get; set; }
// History of arguments used for calls made to Reticulate.
// Each call will add an entry to the list.
public List<IEnumerable<Spline>> ReticulateArguments { get; private set; } = new List<IEnumerable<Spline>>();
public IEnumerable<Spline> GetSplines()
{
// Returns the preset splines that the test configured
return this.Splines;
}
// Mocked implementation of Reticulate()
public void Reticulate(IEnumerable<Spline> splines)
{
// Does nothing except record what you passed into it
this.ReticulateArguments.Add(splines);
}
}
This is a very simplified implementation, but it gets the job done. The test will now look like this:
[Test]
public void ReticulatesTheContextSplines()
{
// Arrange
IEnumerable<Spline> splines = new List<Spline>() { new Spline(), new Spline() }; // Just create some items here, it's random test data.
IWorkContext mockedContext = new MockedWorkContext();
mockedContext.Splines = splines;
UserNotification userNotification = new UserNotification();
// Act
userNotification.Execute(mockedContext);
// Assert - Confirm that Reticulate() was called
mockedContext.ReticulateArguments.Should().HaveCount(1);
// Confirm that Reticulate() was given the result from `GetSplines()`
mockedContext.ReticulateArguments[0].Should().BeEquivalentTo(splines);
}
This test now exactly tests the behavior of your method. It uses the mocked context as a spy to report on what your unit under test (i.e. UserNotification) does with the context that you pass into it.
Note that I am using FluentAssertions here, as I find it the most easily readable syntax. Feel free to use your own assertion logic.
While you can write your own mocks; there are mocking libraries that help cut down on the boilerplating. Moq and NSubstitute are the two biggest favorites as far as I'm aware. I personally prefer NSubstitute's syntax; but both get the job done equally well.
If you want to use nunit the documentation with example is pretty easy to follow, link below.
Nunit documentation
And I think all other unit test framework have something similar to this.
[Test]
public void Execute_WhenCalled_ThrowArgumentException()
{
//Initialize an instance of IWorkContext
var iwc = new WorkContext();
//or use a Mock object, later on in assert use
//userNotification.Execute(iwc.Object)
var iwc = new Mock<IWorkContext>();
var userNotification = new UserNotification();
Assert.Throws(typeof(InvalidWorkException), () =>
{
userNotification.Execute(iwc)
});
}

Unti Test: Mock a method result

public void Pay()
{
// some insert db code
// ...
// Call Bank api
BankApi api = new BankApi();
int result = api.pay();
if(result == 1)
{
//...
}
else
{
//...
}
}
I dont want to call api in unit test. How to mock the pay method without modify inner code (such as the line new BankApi() code)?
Its possible to mock your BankApi class without changing any of your legacy code, you just need a unit testing framework that allows you to mock concrete classes.
for example a test for your method with Typemock :
[TestMethod]
public void ExampleTest()
{
//fakes the next BankApi instace
var handler = Isolate.Fake.NextInstance<BankApi>();
//change the pay method behavior
Isolate.WhenCalled(() => handler.pay()).WillReturn(1);
new ClassUnderTest().Pay();
}
First, as stated, you should create an Interface.
public interface IBankApi
{
int pay();
}
Then, what you can do is mock this interface like this (I'm using Moq "Mock you" here, you will need to add the NuGet package "Moq" as reference to your application, and you could use other mocking libraries of course)
apiMock = new Mock<IBankApi>();
just after that you will tell what this call should return (that would be actual mocking)
apiMock.Setup(x => x.pay()).Returns(1); //
Then, this api "pseudo object", can be used by using apiMock.Object
Now , this information I just gave you doesn't directly solve your problem.
As stated in the comments, you need a better uncoupling of your code.
You need, for example, some kind of "dependency injection" to allow for such a uncoupling.
Here is a simple example of how it can be done :
public class ClassThatUsesYourBankApi
{
private readonly IBankApi _api;
// the constructor will be given a reference to the interface
public ClassThatUsesYourBankApi (IBankApi api)
{
// here you could check for null parameter and throw exception as needed
this._api = api;
}
// this method can now be tested with the mock interface
public void MethodThatUseTheApi()
{
int result = this._api.pay();
if (result == 1)
{
// some things that happens
}
else
{
// some other thing
}
}
}
How to unit test that method :
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using Moq;
[TestClass]
public class TestMyMethod
{
[TestMethod]
public void MyMethod_WithBankApiReturns1_ShouldHaveThingsThatHappens()
{
// Arrange
var apiMock = new Mock<IBankApi>();
apiMock.Setup(api => api.pay())
.Returns(1);
var myObject = new ClassThatUsesYourBankApi(apiMock.Object);
// Act
int result = myObject.MethodThatUseTheApi();
// Assert
// Here you test that the things that should have happened when the api returns 1 actually have happened.
}
}
The key thing to understand here, is that you must not instantiate the api you need to mock in the method you want to test
In other words, "uncoupling" your method with your api is done by programming to an interface, and code such as you don't have
var api = new BankApi()
directly in the method you want to unit test.
I showed a way to do that, and there are other.

Prevent void method to being call in a unit test for another method

I'm trying to unit test a method in which another method is being called. In this inner method the db is accessed to persist the data and that's why I'd need to prevent it to be actually called. But the following code doesn't achieve that.
Test
[Test]
public void Schedule_WhenEntryIsAvailable()
{
#region Arrange
var entryStub= MockRepository.GenerateStub<Entry>();
_entryDal.Stub(_ => _.Retrieve(Arg<long>.Is.Anything)).Return(entryStub);
entryStub.Stub(_ => _.AssignToActionTemplate(Arg<ActionTemplates>.Is.Anything, Arg<long>.Is.Anything, Arg<IUnitOfWork>.Is.Anything));
#endregion
#region act
//I create the deferralRequest
_deferralService.Schedule(deferralRequest);
#endregion
#region assert
//...
#endregion
}
Being the Schedule method in the Entry class
public virtual void Schedule(DeferralRequestDto deferralRequest, bool ignoreSeasonal = false)
{
if (!deferralRequest.Deferrals.Any()) return;
if (Validate(deferralRequest, ValidationGroup.PersonValidation & ValidationGroup.EntryValidation))
{
foreach (var deferral in deferralRequest.Deferrals)
{
var entryFromRequest= EntryFactory.Factory(_entryDal.Retrieve(deferral.Id));
/.... Do different things
var deferToEntry = CreateDeferralEntry(deferral, deferFromEntry, deferralRequest.UserId);
}
}
}
private Entry CreateDeferralEntry(Deferral deferral, Entry #entry, long userId)
{
var deferFromEntry = #entry.GetGentleEntity(); //We're using Gentle as persistent framework
var deferEntry = new entry
{
//We populate the deferEntry using the deferFromEntry fetched and the deferral from the parameters
};
//And after a few thing we call this method that actually persist to the an action table in the db which is the bit I would like to avoid being called
deferToEntry.AssignToActionTemplate(ActionTemplates.Deferral, deferEntry.CreatedBy, null);
return deferToEntry;
}
It's inside this AssignToActionTemplate where I persist some data to the database and that's what I would like to prevent from being called. Is there a way to do so?
Thanks
EDIT:
As per Phil Sandler comment,
In the deferralService's Schedule the entry is fetched from a factory based on the deferralRequest (I add some lines in the code)
You are mocking a concrete class, which is generally difficult in .Net. See 'Is it recommended to mock concrete class.'
If you can create an interface for Entry and make the class under test dependent on the interface instead, it will make testing (via mocking) much easier.

Approach to test public methods depending on private methods

I'm trying to add tests to a legacy code, and as I start to adding code, I get the feeling that something is wrong.
In the following code, the public method RegisterChange is calling two private methods to:
Get the object to store
Store the object
public class ChangeService {
IRepository repository;
public ChangeService(IRepository repository){
this.repository = repository;
}
public bool RegisterChange( int entityId ){
var entity = GetParsedEntity( entityId );
SaveEntity( entity );
return true;
}
private Entity GetParsedEntity( int id ) {
var entity = repository.GetEntityById( id );
return new Entity{ Name = entity.Name };
}
private void SaveEntity( Entity entity ) {
repository.Save( Entity );
}
}
public class ChangeServiceFact(){
[Fact]
public void When_valid_entity__Should_save_entity(){
var mock = new Mock<IRepository>();
var service = new ChangeService(mock.object);
var result = service.RegisterChange( 0 );
Assert.True(result);
}
}
So, when Im mocking the repository, I had to go and check the private method's code to know which operations to mock.
The problem that I'm seeing with this approach is that, because the code is testing not only the test subject (the public method) but also the private methods, is not clear which should be the test result by looking at the test subject (public method).
In the case that, later on, someone decide to modify one private method (like throwing an exception from GetParsedEntity), the test will continue to pass correctly, but the client code could fail because of this change.
In this particular case, Im using C#, XUnit and Moq, but I think is more a general testing question.
The problem that I'm seeing with this approach is that, because the code is testing not only the test subject (the public method) but also the private methods, is not clear which should be the test result by looking at the test subject (public method).
The test subject you mention has no visible effect without knowing its full contract. What the full contract here is? The mentioned public method and constructor, which takes dependency. It's the dependency that's important here and interaction with this dependency is what should be tested. Private methods are (as always) implementation detail - irrelevant to unit testing.
Having said that, let's get back to the contract. What is the actual contract of test subject (ChangeService method)? To retrieve object from repository basing on some id, create different object and save the later in the same repository. And this is your test.
[Fact]
public void ChangeService_StoresNewEntityInRepository_BasedOnProvidedId()
{
const string ExpectedName = "some name";
var otherEntity = new OtherEntity { Name = ExpectedName };
var mock = new Mock<IRepository>();
var service = new ChangeService(mock.object);
mock.Setup(m => m.GetEntityById(0)).Return(otherEntity);
service.RegisterChange(0);
mock.Verify(m => m.SaveEntity(It.Is<Entity>(e => e.Name == ExpectedName));
}

Unit Testing Interfaces with Moq

I'm new to Moq and unit testing. I have been doing a unit test and this is the following code:
private Mock<IServiceAdapter> repository;
[TestInitialize]
public void Initialize()
{
repository= new Mock<IServiceAdapter>();
}
[TestMethod()]
public void SaveTest()
{
//Setup
string Name = "Name1";
string Type = "1";
string parentID = null;
repository.Setup(x => x.Save(Name , Type, parentID)).Returns("Success").Verifiable();
//Do
var result = repository.Object.Save(Name , Type, parentID);
//Assert
repository.Verify();
}
My problem is that the test will always return the string that I put in the Returns parameter, in other words, it will always return "success" or whatever I write in its place. I guess thats not right because thats not the real behavior of the service. Anyone knows how I can mirror the real behavior of the "Save" service I'm trying to test? So lets say, if the return string is different from the service method,then the test should fail.
Edited
The ServiceAdapter interface its just a wrapper for a Web Service which I call like a REST Service. It's a Web Forms Project.
I'm doing something like in this post
How to mock a web service
Should I create something like a FakeController with Dependency Injection to make it work?
You are testing mock here, which gives you nothing (because this mock is not used in your real application). In unit-testing you should create and test your real objects, which exist in your real application (i.e. interface implementations). Mocks used for mocking dependencies of objects under test.
So, mock of service adapter will be useful for tests of object, which uses that adapter, e.g. some controller tests:
private FooController _controller; // object under test, real object
private Mock<IServiceAdapter> _serviceAdapter; // dependency of controller
[TestInitialize]
public void Initialize()
{
_serviceAdapter = new Mock<IServiceAdapter>();
_controller = new FooController(_serviceAdapter.Object);
}
[TestMethod()]
public void SaveTest()
{
// Arrange
string name = "Name1";
string type = "1";
string parentID = null;
_serviceAdapter.Setup(x => x.Save(name , type, parentID))
.Returns("Success").Verifiable();
// Act on your object under test!
// controller will call dependency
var result = _controller.Bar(name , type, parentID);
// Assert
Assert.True(result); // verify result is correct
_serviceAdapter.Verify(); // verify dependency was called
}

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