3 Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::08_Testing - Catalyst Tutorial - Chapter 8: Testing
8 This is B<Chapter 8 of 10> for the Catalyst tutorial.
10 L<Tutorial Overview|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial>
16 L<Introduction|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::01_Intro>
20 L<Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::02_CatalystBasics>
24 L<More Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::03_MoreCatalystBasics>
28 L<Basic CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::04_BasicCRUD>
32 L<Authentication|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::05_Authentication>
36 L<Authorization|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::06_Authorization>
40 L<Debugging|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::07_Debugging>
48 L<Advanced CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::09_AdvancedCRUD>
52 L<Appendices|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::10_Appendices>
59 You may have noticed that the Catalyst Helper scripts automatically
60 create basic C<.t> test scripts under the C<t> directory. This chapter
61 of the tutorial briefly looks at how these tests can be used not only to
62 ensure that your application is working correctly at the present time,
63 but also provide automated regression testing as you upgrade various
64 pieces of your application over time.
66 Source code for the tutorial in included in the F</root/Final> directory
67 of the Tutorial Virtual machine (one subdirectory per chapter). There
68 are also instructions for downloading the code in
69 L<Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::01_Intro>.
71 For an excellent introduction to learning the many benefits of testing
72 your Perl applications and modules, you might want to read 'Perl
73 Testing: A Developer's Notebook' by Ian Langworth and chromatic.
76 =head1 RUNNING THE "CANNED" CATALYST TESTS
78 There are a variety of ways to run Catalyst and Perl tests (for example,
79 C<perl Makefile.PL> and C<make test>), but one of the easiest is with
80 the C<prove> command. For example, to run all of the tests in the C<t>
85 There will be a lot of output because we have the C<-Debug> flag enabled
86 in C<lib/MyApp.pm> (see the C<CATALYST_DEBUG=0> tip below for a quick
87 and easy way to reduce the clutter). Look for lines like this for
90 # Failed test 'Request should succeed'
91 # at t/controller_Books.t line 8.
92 # Looks like you failed 1 test of 3.
94 The redirection used by the Authentication plugins will cause several
95 failures in the default tests. You can fix this by making the following
98 1) Change the line in C<t/01app.t> that reads:
100 ok( request('/')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
104 ok( request('/login')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
106 2) Change the line in C<t/controller_Logout.t> that reads:
108 ok( request('/logout')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
112 ok( request('/logout')->is_redirect, 'Request should succeed' );
114 3) Change the line in C<t/controller_Books.t> that reads:
116 ok( request('/books')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
120 ok( request('/books')->is_redirect, 'Request should succeed' );
122 4) Add the following statement to the top of C<t/view_HTML.t>:
126 As you can see in the C<prove> command line above, the C<-l> option (or
127 C<--lib> if you prefer) is used to set the location of the Catalyst
128 C<lib> directory. With this command, you will get all of the usual
129 development server debug output, something most people prefer to disable
130 while running tests cases. Although you can edit the C<lib/MyApp.pm> to
131 comment out the C<-Debug> plugin, it's generally easier to simply set
132 the C<CATALYST_DEBUG=0> environment variable. For example:
134 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove -wl t
136 During the C<t/02pod> and C<t/03podcoverage> tests, you might notice the
137 C<all skipped: set TEST_POD to enable this test> warning message. To
138 execute the Pod-related tests, add C<TEST_POD=1> to the C<prove>
141 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 TEST_POD=1 prove -wl t
143 If you omitted the Pod comments from any of the methods that were
144 inserted, you might have to go back and fix them to get these tests to
147 Another useful option is the C<verbose> (C<-v>) option to C<prove>. It
148 prints the name of each test case as it is being run:
150 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove -vwl t
153 =head1 RUNNING A SINGLE TEST
155 You can also run a single script by appending its name to the C<prove>
156 command. For example:
158 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove -wl t/01app.t
160 Also note that you can also run tests directly from Perl without
161 C<prove>. For example:
163 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 perl -w -Ilib t/01app.t
166 =head1 ADDING YOUR OWN TEST SCRIPT
168 Although the Catalyst helper scripts provide a basic level of checks
169 "for free," testing can become significantly more helpful when you write
170 your own tests to exercise the various parts of your application. The
171 L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst> module is very popular for writing
172 these sorts of test cases. This module extends L<Test::WWW::Mechanize>
173 (and therefore L<WWW::Mechanize>) to allow you to automate the action of
174 a user "clicking around" inside your application. It gives you all the
175 benefits of testing on a live system without the messiness of having to
176 use an actual web server, and a real person to do the clicking.
178 To create a sample test case, open the C<t/live_app01.t> file in your
179 editor and enter the following:
187 # Need to specify the name of your app as arg on next line
189 # use Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst "MyApp";
191 BEGIN { use_ok("Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst" => "MyApp") }
193 # Create two 'user agents' to simulate two different users ('test01' & 'test02')
194 my $ua1 = Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst->new;
195 my $ua2 = Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst->new;
197 # Use a simplified for loop to do tests that are common to both users
198 # Use get_ok() to make sure we can hit the base URL
199 # Second arg = optional description of test (will be displayed for failed tests)
200 # Note that in test scripts you send everything to 'http://localhost'
201 $_->get_ok("http://localhost/", "Check redirect of base URL") for $ua1, $ua2;
202 # Use title_is() to check the contents of the <title>...</title> tags
203 $_->title_is("Login", "Check for login title") for $ua1, $ua2;
204 # Use content_contains() to match on text in the html body
205 $_->content_contains("You need to log in to use this application",
206 "Check we are NOT logged in") for $ua1, $ua2;
208 # Log in as each user
209 # Specify username and password on the URL
210 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/login?username=test01&password=mypass", "Login 'test01'");
211 # Could make user2 like user1 above, but use the form to show another way
214 username => 'test02',
215 password => 'mypass',
218 # Go back to the login page and it should show that we are already logged in
219 $_->get_ok("http://localhost/login", "Return to '/login'") for $ua1, $ua2;
220 $_->title_is("Login", "Check for login page") for $ua1, $ua2;
221 $_->content_contains("Please Note: You are already logged in as ",
222 "Check we ARE logged in" ) for $ua1, $ua2;
224 # 'Click' the 'Logout' link (see also 'text_regex' and 'url_regex' options)
225 $_->follow_link_ok({n => 4}, "Logout via first link on page") for $ua1, $ua2;
226 $_->title_is("Login", "Check for login title") for $ua1, $ua2;
227 $_->content_contains("You need to log in to use this application",
228 "Check we are NOT logged in") for $ua1, $ua2;
231 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/login?username=test01&password=mypass",
233 $ua2->get_ok("http://localhost/login?username=test02&password=mypass",
235 # Should be at the Book List page... do some checks to confirm
236 $_->title_is("Book List", "Check for book list title") for $ua1, $ua2;
238 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "'test01' book list");
239 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/login", "Login Page");
240 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "'test01' book list");
242 $_->content_contains("Book List", "Check for book list title") for $ua1, $ua2;
243 # Make sure the appropriate logout buttons are displayed
244 $_->content_contains("/logout\">User Logout</a>",
245 "Both users should have a 'User Logout'") for $ua1, $ua2;
246 $ua1->content_contains("/books/form_create\">Admin Create</a>",
247 "'test01' should have a create link");
248 $ua2->content_lacks("/books/form_create\">Admin Create</a>",
249 "'test02' should NOT have a create link");
251 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "View book list as 'test01'");
253 # User 'test01' should be able to create a book with the "formless create" URL
254 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/url_create/TestTitle/2/4",
255 "'test01' formless create");
256 $ua1->title_is("Book Created", "Book created title");
257 $ua1->content_contains("Added book 'TestTitle'", "Check title added OK");
258 $ua1->content_contains("by 'Stevens'", "Check author added OK");
259 $ua1->content_contains("with a rating of 2.", "Check rating added");
260 # Try a regular expression to combine the previous 3 checks & account for whitespace
261 $ua1->content_like(qr/Added book 'TestTitle'\s+by 'Stevens'\s+with a rating of 2./,
264 # Make sure the new book shows in the list
265 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "'test01' book list");
266 $ua1->title_is("Book List", "Check logged in and at book list");
267 $ua1->content_contains("Book List", "Book List page test");
268 $ua1->content_contains("TestTitle", "Look for 'TestTitle'");
270 # Make sure the new book can be deleted
271 # Get all the Delete links on the list page
272 my @delLinks = $ua1->find_all_links(text => 'Delete');
273 # Use the final link to delete the last book
274 $ua1->get_ok($delLinks[$#delLinks]->url, 'Delete last book');
275 # Check that delete worked
276 $ua1->content_contains("Book List", "Book List page test");
277 $ua1->content_like(qr/Deleted book \d+/, "Deleted book #");
279 # User 'test02' should not be able to add a book
280 $ua2->get_ok("http://localhost/books/url_create/TestTitle2/2/5", "'test02' add");
281 $ua2->content_contains("Unauthorized!", "Check 'test02' cannot add");
285 The C<live_app.t> test cases uses copious comments to explain each step
286 of the process. In addition to the techniques shown here, there are a
287 variety of other methods available in L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst>
288 (for example, regex-based matching). Consult
289 L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst>, L<Test::WWW::Mechanize>,
290 L<WWW::Mechanize>, and L<Test::More> for more detail.
292 B<TIP>: For I<unit tests> vs. the "full application tests" approach used
293 by L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst>, see L<Catalyst::Test>.
295 B<Note:> The test script does not test the C<form_create> and
296 C<form_create_do> actions. That is left as an exercise for the reader
297 (you should be able to complete that logic using the existing code as a
300 To run the new test script, use a command such as:
302 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove -vwl t/live_app01.t
306 $ DBIC_TRACE=0 CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove -vwl t/live_app01.t
308 Experiment with the C<DBIC_TRACE>, C<CATALYST_DEBUG> and C<-v> settings.
309 If you find that there are errors, use the techniques discussed in the
310 "Catalyst Debugging" section (Chapter 7) to isolate and fix any
313 If you want to run the test case under the Perl interactive debugger,
314 try a command such as:
316 $ DBIC_TRACE=0 CATALYST_DEBUG=0 perl -d -Ilib t/live_app01.t
318 Note that although this tutorial uses a single custom test case for
319 simplicity, you may wish to break your tests into different files for
322 B<TIP:> If you have a test case that fails, you will receive an error
323 similar to the following:
325 # Failed test 'Check we are NOT logged in'
326 # in t/live_app01.t at line 31.
327 # searched: "\x{0a}<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Tran"...
328 # can't find: "You need to log in to use this application."
330 Unfortunately, this only shows us the first 50 characters of the HTML
331 returned by the request -- not enough to determine where the problem
332 lies. A simple technique that can be used in such situations is to
333 temporarily insert a line similar to the following right after the
338 This will cause the full HTML returned by the request to be displayed.
340 Another approach to see the full HTML content at the failure point in a
341 series of tests would be to insert a "C<$DB::single=1;> right above the
342 location of the failure and run the test under the Perl debugger (with
343 C<-d>) as shown above. Then you can use the debugger to explore the
344 state of the application right before or after the failure.
347 =head1 SUPPORTING BOTH PRODUCTION AND TEST DATABASES
349 You may wish to leverage the techniques discussed in this tutorial to
350 maintain both a "production database" for your live application and a
351 "testing database" for your test cases. One advantage to
352 L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst> is that it runs your full application;
353 however, this can complicate things when you want to support multiple
356 =head2 DATABASE CONFIG SWITCHING IN YOUR MODEL CLASS
358 One solution is to allow the database specification to be overridden
359 with an environment variable. For example, open
360 C<lib/MyApp/Model/DB.pm> in your editor and change the
361 C<__PACKAGE__-E<gt>config(...> declaration to resemble:
363 my $dsn = $ENV{MYAPP_DSN} ||= 'dbi:SQLite:myapp.db';
365 schema_class => 'MyApp::Schema',
371 on_connect_do => q{PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON},
375 Then, when you run your test case, you can use commands such as:
377 $ cp myapp.db myappTEST.db
378 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 MYAPP_DSN="dbi:SQLite:myappTEST.db" prove -vwl t/live_app01.t
380 This will modify the DSN only while the test case is running. If you
381 launch your normal application without the C<MYAPP_DSN> environment
382 variable defined, it will default to the same C<dbi:SQLite:myapp.db> as
386 =head2 DATABASE CONFIG SWITCHING USING MULTIPLE CONFIG FILES
388 L<Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader> has functionality to load loading
389 multiple config files based on environment variablesi, allowing you to
390 override your default (production) database connection settings during
391 development (or vice versa).
393 Setting C<$ENV{ MYAPP_CONFIG_LOCAL_SUFFIX }> to 'testing' in your test
394 script results in loading of an additional config file named
395 C<myapp_testing.conf> after C<myapp.conf> which will override any
396 parameters in C<myapp.conf>.
398 You should set the environment variable in the BEGIN block of your test
399 script to make sure it's set before your Catalyst application is
402 The following is an example for a config and test script for a
403 DBIx::Class model named MyDB and a controller named Foo:
409 dsn dbi:SQLite:myapp.db
421 $ENV{ MYAPP_CONFIG_LOCAL_SUFFIX } = 'testing';
424 eval "use Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst 'MyApp'";
426 ? ( skip_all => 'Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst required' )
429 ok( my $mech = Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst->new, 'Created mech object' );
431 $mech->get_ok( 'http://localhost/foo' );
436 Kennedy Clark, C<hkclark@gmail.com>
438 Feel free to contact the author for any errors or suggestions, but the
439 best way to report issues is via the CPAN RT Bug system at
440 <https://rt.cpan.org/Public/Dist/Display.html?Name=Catalyst-Manual>.
442 The most recent version of the Catalyst Tutorial can be found at
443 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/Catalyst-Manual/5.80/trunk/lib/Catalyst/Manual/Tutorial/>.
445 Copyright 2006-2010, Kennedy Clark, under the
446 Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License Version 3.0
447 (L<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/>).