3 Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::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::Intro>
20 L<Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::CatalystBasics>
24 L<More Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::MoreCatalystBasics>
28 L<Basic CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::BasicCRUD>
32 L<Authentication|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authentication>
36 L<Authorization|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authorization>
40 L<Debugging|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Debugging>
48 L<Advanced CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::AdvancedCRUD>
52 L<Appendices|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::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
61 chapter of the tutorial briefly looks at how these tests can be used
62 not only to ensure that your application is working correctly at the
63 present time, but also provide automated regression testing as you
64 upgrade various pieces of your application over time.
66 You can check out the source code for this example from the Catalyst
67 Subversion repository as per the instructions in
68 L<Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Intro|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Intro>.
70 For an excellent introduction to learning the many benefits of testing
71 your Perl applications and modules, you might want to read 'Perl Testing:
72 A Developer's Notebook' by Ian Langworth and chromatic.
75 =head1 RUNNING THE "CANNED" CATALYST TESTS
77 There are a variety of ways to run Catalyst and Perl tests (for example,
78 C<perl Makefile.PL> and C<make test>), but one of the easiest is with the
79 C<prove> command. For example, to run all of the tests in the C<t>
84 There will be a lot of output because we have the C<-Debug> flag
85 enabled in C<lib/MyApp.pm> (see the C<CATALYST_DEBUG=0> tip below for
86 a quick and easy way to reduce the clutter). Look for lines like this
89 # Failed test 'Request should succeed'
90 # at t/controller_Books.t line 8.
91 # Looks like you failed 1 test of 3.
93 The redirection used by the Authentication plugins will cause several
94 failures in the default tests. You can fix this by making the following
97 1) Change the line in C<t/01app.t> that reads:
99 ok( request('/')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
103 ok( request('/login')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
105 2) Change the line in C<t/controller_Logout.t> that reads:
107 ok( request('/logout')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
111 ok( request('/logout')->is_redirect, 'Request should succeed' );
113 3) Change the line in C<t/controller_Books.t> that reads:
115 ok( request('/books')->is_success, 'Request should succeed' );
119 ok( request('/books')->is_redirect, 'Request should succeed' );
121 4) Add the following statement to the top of C<t/view_TT.t>:
125 As you can see in the C<prove> command line above, the C<--lib> option
126 is used to set the location of the Catalyst C<lib> directory. With this
127 command, you will get all of the usual development server debug output,
128 something most people prefer to disable while running tests cases.
129 Although you can edit the C<lib/MyApp.pm> to comment out the C<-Debug>
130 plugin, it's generally easier to simply set the C<CATALYST_DEBUG=0>
131 environment variable. For example:
133 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib t
135 B<Note:> Depending on the versions of various modules you have
136 installed, you might get some C<used only once> warnings -- you can
137 ignore these. If you want to eliminate the warnings, you can
138 edit C<Template::Base> to disable and then re-enable warnings
139 are the C</usr/lib/perl5/Template/Base.pm> line in C<sub new>.
140 You can locate where C<Template::Base> is located with the
141 following command (it's probably in a place similar to
142 C</usr/lib/perl5/Template/Base.pm>):
144 perldoc -l Template::Base
146 Edit the file and modify C<sub new> to match:
149 { no strict qw( refs );
152 $argnames = \@{"$class\::BASEARGS"} || [ ];
153 # Turn warnings back on
158 During the C<t/02pod> and C<t/03podcoverage> tests, you might notice the
159 C<all skipped: set TEST_POD to enable this test> warning message. To
160 execute the Pod-related tests, add C<TEST_POD=1> to the C<prove>
163 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 TEST_POD=1 prove --lib lib t
165 If you omitted the Pod comments from any of the methods that were
166 inserted, you might have to go back and fix them to get these tests to
169 Another useful option is the C<verbose> (C<-v>) option to C<prove>. It
170 prints the name of each test case as it is being run:
172 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 TEST_POD=1 prove --lib lib -v t
175 =head1 RUNNING A SINGLE TEST
177 You can also run a single script by appending its name to the C<prove>
178 command. For example:
180 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib t/01app.t
182 Also note that you can also run tests directly from Perl without C<prove>.
185 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 perl -Ilib t/01app.t
188 =head1 ADDING YOUR OWN TEST SCRIPT
190 Although the Catalyst helper scripts provide a basic level of checks
191 "for free," testing can become significantly more helpful when you write
192 your own script to exercise the various parts of your application. The
193 L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst|Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst> module
194 is very popular for writing these sorts of test cases. This module
195 extends L<Test::WWW::Mechanize|Test::WWW::Mechanize> (and therefore
196 L<WWW::Mechanize|WWW::Mechanize>) to allow you to automate the action of
197 a user "clicking around" inside your application. It gives you all the
198 benefits of testing on a live system without the messiness of having to
199 use an actual web server, and a real person to do the clicking.
201 To create a sample test case, open the C<t/live_app01.t> file in your
202 editor and enter the following:
209 # Load testing framework and use 'no_plan' to dynamically pick up
210 # all tests. Better to replace "'no_plan'" with "tests => 30" so it
211 # knows exactly how many tests need to be run (and will tell you if
212 # not), but 'no_plan' is nice for quick & dirty tests
214 use Test::More 'no_plan';
216 # Need to specify the name of your app as arg on next line
218 # use Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst "MyApp";
220 use ok "Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst" => "MyApp";
222 # Create two 'user agents' to simulate two different users ('test01' & 'test02')
223 my $ua1 = Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst->new;
224 my $ua2 = Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst->new;
226 # Use a simplified for loop to do tests that are common to both users
227 # Use get_ok() to make sure we can hit the base URL
228 # Second arg = optional description of test (will be displayed for failed tests)
229 # Note that in test scripts you send everything to 'http://localhost'
230 $_->get_ok("http://localhost/", "Check redirect of base URL") for $ua1, $ua2;
231 # Use title_is() to check the contents of the <title>...</title> tags
232 $_->title_is("Login", "Check for login title") for $ua1, $ua2;
233 # Use content_contains() to match on text in the html body
234 $_->content_contains("You need to log in to use this application",
235 "Check we are NOT logged in") for $ua1, $ua2;
237 # Log in as each user
238 # Specify username and password on the URL
239 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/login?username=test01&password=mypass", "Login 'test01'");
240 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/login?username=test02&password=mypass", "Login 'test02'");
242 # Go back to the login page and it should show that we are already logged in
243 $_->get_ok("http://localhost/login", "Return to '/login'") for $ua1, $ua2;
244 $_->title_is("Login", "Check for login page") for $ua1, $ua2;
245 $_->content_contains("Please Note: You are already logged in as ",
246 "Check we ARE logged in" ) for $ua1, $ua2;
248 # 'Click' the 'Logout' link (see also 'text_regex' and 'url_regex' options)
249 $_->follow_link_ok({n => 4}, "Logout via first link on page") for $ua1, $ua2;
250 $_->title_is("Login", "Check for login title") for $ua1, $ua2;
251 $_->content_contains("You need to log in to use this application",
252 "Check we are NOT logged in") for $ua1, $ua2;
255 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/login?username=test01&password=mypass", "Login 'test01'");
256 $ua2->get_ok("http://localhost/login?username=test02&password=mypass", "Login 'test02'");
257 # Should be at the Book List page... do some checks to confirm
258 $_->title_is("Book List", "Check for book list title") for $ua1, $ua2;
260 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "'test01' book list");
261 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/login", "Login Page");
262 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "'test01' book list");
264 $_->content_contains("Book List", "Check for book list title") for $ua1, $ua2;
265 # Make sure the appropriate logout buttons are displayed
266 $_->content_contains("/logout\">User Logout</a>",
267 "Both users should have a 'User Logout'") for $ua1, $ua2;
268 $ua1->content_contains("/books/form_create\">Create</a>",
269 "Only 'test01' should have a create link");
271 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "View book list as 'test01'");
273 # User 'test01' should be able to create a book with the "formless create" URL
274 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/url_create/TestTitle/2/4",
275 "'test01' formless create");
276 $ua1->title_is("Book Created", "Book created title");
277 $ua1->content_contains("Added book 'TestTitle'", "Check title added OK");
278 $ua1->content_contains("by 'Stevens'", "Check author added OK");
279 $ua1->content_contains("with a rating of 2.", "Check rating added");
280 # Try a regular expression to combine the previous 3 checks & account for whitespace
281 $ua1->content_like(qr/Added book 'TestTitle'\s+by 'Stevens'\s+with a rating of 2./, "Regex check");
283 # Make sure the new book shows in the list
284 $ua1->get_ok("http://localhost/books/list", "'test01' book list");
285 $ua1->title_is("Book List", "Check logged in and at book list");
286 $ua1->content_contains("Book List", "Book List page test");
287 $ua1->content_contains("TestTitle", "Look for 'TestTitle'");
289 # Make sure the new book can be deleted
290 # Get all the Delete links on the list page
291 my @delLinks = $ua1->find_all_links(text => 'Delete');
292 # Use the final link to delete the last book
293 $ua1->get_ok($delLinks[$#delLinks]->url, 'Delete last book');
294 # Check that delete worked
295 $ua1->content_contains("Book List", "Book List page test");
296 $ua1->content_contains("Book deleted", "Book was deleted");
298 # User 'test02' should not be able to add a book
299 $ua2->get_ok("http://localhost/books/url_create/TestTitle2/2/5", "'test02' add");
300 $ua2->content_contains("Unauthorized!", "Check 'test02' cannot add");
302 The C<live_app.t> test cases uses copious comments to explain each step
303 of the process. In addition to the techniques shown here, there are a
304 variety of other methods available in
305 L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst|Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst> (for
306 example, regex-based matching). Consult the documentation for more
309 B<TIP>: For I<unit tests> vs. the "full application tests" approach used
310 by L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst|Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst>, see
311 L<Catalyst::Test|Catalyst::Test>.
313 B<Note:> The test script does not test the C<form_create> and
314 C<form_create_do> actions. That is left as an exercise for the reader
315 (you should be able to complete that logic using the existing code as a
318 To run the new test script, use a command such as:
320 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib -v t/live_app01.t
324 $ DBIC_TRACE=0 CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib -v t/live_app01.t
326 Experiment with the C<DBIC_TRACE>, C<CATALYST_DEBUG> and C<-v>
327 settings. If you find that there are errors, use the techniques
328 discussed in the "Catalyst Debugging" section (Chapter 7) to isolate
329 and fix any problems.
331 If you want to run the test case under the Perl interactive debugger,
332 try a command such as:
334 $ DBIC_TRACE=0 CATALYST_DEBUG=0 perl -d -Ilib t/live_app01.t
336 Note that although this tutorial uses a single custom test case for
337 simplicity, you may wish to break your tests into different files for
340 B<TIP:> If you have a test case that fails, you will receive an error
341 similar to the following:
343 # Failed test 'Check we are NOT logged in'
344 # in t/live_app01.t at line 31.
345 # searched: "\x{0a}<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Tran"...
346 # can't find: "You need to log in to use this application."
348 Unfortunately, this only shows us the first 50 characters of the HTML
349 returned by the request -- not enough to determine where the problem
350 lies. A simple technique that can be used in such situations is to
351 temporarily insert a line similar to the following right after the
356 This will cause the full HTML returned by the request to be displayed.
358 Another approach to see the full HTML content at the failure point in
359 a series of tests would be to insert a "C<$DB::single=1;> right above
360 the location of the failure and run the test under the perl debugger
361 (with C<-d>) as shown above. Then you can use the debugger to explore
362 the state of the application right before or after the failure.
365 =head1 SUPPORTING BOTH PRODUCTION AND TEST DATABASES
367 You may wish to leverage the techniques discussed in this tutorial to
368 maintain both a "production database" for your live application and a
369 "testing database" for your test cases. One advantage to
370 L<Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst|Test::WWW::Mechanize::Catalyst> is that
371 it runs your full application; however, this can complicate things when
372 you want to support multiple databases. One solution is to allow the
373 database specification to be overridden with an environment variable.
374 For example, open C<lib/MyApp/Model/DB.pm> in your editor and
375 change the C<__PACKAGE__-E<gt>config(...> declaration to resemble:
377 my $dsn = $ENV{MYAPP_DSN} ||= 'dbi:SQLite:myapp.db';
379 schema_class => 'MyApp::Schema',
385 Then, when you run your test case, you can use commands such as:
387 $ cp myapp.db myappTEST.db
388 $ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 MYAPP_DSN="dbi:SQLite:myappTEST.db" prove --lib lib -v t/live_app01.t
390 This will modify the DSN only while the test case is running. If you
391 launch your normal application without the C<MYAPP_DSN> environment
392 variable defined, it will default to the same C<dbi:SQLite:myapp.db> as
398 Kennedy Clark, C<hkclark@gmail.com>
400 Please report any errors, issues or suggestions to the author. The
401 most recent version of the Catalyst Tutorial can be found at
402 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/Catalyst-Manual/5.70/trunk/lib/Catalyst/Manual/Tutorial/>.
404 Copyright 2006-2008, Kennedy Clark, under Creative Commons License
405 (L<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/>).