Testing: PHPUnit, database tests and checks #

This page is for developers who test with a framework's test kit: Symfony's WebTestCase, Laravel's HTTP tests and factories, Django's test client and fixtures, Rails system tests. Exponential's tests are plain PHPUnit. The kernel runs most of its suites without a database, a few against a throwaway one, and adds checks for templates, settings and links. Do the same in your extension (Testing applications).

Contents #

1. The layers
2. Unit tests without a database
3. Tests with a database
4. Templates, settings and pages
5. The kernel's CI as a model
6. What has no built-in equivalent

The layers #

Unit tests without a database #

phpunit.xml loads tests/bootstrap.php, which loads Composer's autoloader and the test toolkit but does not boot the kernel (DB-less PHPUnit tests):

<?php
// extension/expdemo/tests/expDemoColorValidatorTest.php
class expDemoColorValidatorTest extends PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase
{
    public function testAcceptsHexColors()
    {
        $this->assertTrue( expDemoColorValidator::isValid( '#a1b2c3' ) );
    }
}

vendor/bin/phpunit extension/expdemo/tests/

This works when the logic lives in plain classes with their dependencies passed in (Dependency injection and services). Keep database access out of those classes or behind an interface you can replace in the test.

Tests with a database #

tests/runtests.php --dsn <dsn> --db-per-test runs suites against a throwaway database, as the kernel's CI job does on MySQL and PostgreSQL. Mark such tests @group database; vendor/bin/phpunit alone excludes that group. Never point tests at a database that holds real content (PHPUnit in the testing standard).

The test toolkit in tests/toolkit/ has the base classes ezpTestCase and ezpDatabaseTestCase, and ezpINIHelper::setINISetting() / restoreINISettings() to change a setting for one test.

There are no model factories: create the content your test needs with eZContentFunctions::createAndPublishObject() and remote IDs, and your own rows with eZPersistentObject::store().

Templates, settings and pages #

php bin/php/eztemplatecheck.php -s<siteaccess> extension/expdemo/design/   # every template of your extension
./console exp:ini where expdemo.ini/ListSettings/DefaultLimit <siteaccess>  # settings resolve as expected

For pages, send HTTP requests to a running installation (PHP's built-in server through Velocity's php engine, or a test host) as anonymous, as a restricted user and as an editor. Use a dedicated test user created for the run, never a shared administrator account. Check the browser console and var/log/csp.log for blocked inline code.

The kernel's CI as a model #

The kernel's phpunit.xml has 23 suites; GitHub Actions run them on PHP 8.1 to 8.5 without a database and on MySQL and PostgreSQL with one, plus syntax, PHPStan, code style and a PHP 8.0 boot test. tests/test-map.json maps source files to their tests, so a change runs only its own tests before a push (Testing and CI standard, Continuous integration for extensions).

What has no built-in equivalent #

Related pages #

• Testing applications
• Quality checks
• PHPUnit versions
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.