Fixtures
To test functionality correctly, we must use consistent data. If we are testing our code with the same data each
time, we can trust our tests to yield reliable results and to identify when the logic changes. Each test run in
SilverStripe starts with a fresh database containing no records. Fixtures provide a way to describe the initial data
to load into the database. The SapphireTest class takes care of populating a test database with data from
fixtures - all we have to do is define them.
To include your fixture file in your tests, you should define it as your $fixture_file:
mysite/tests/MyNewTest.php
<?php
class MyNewTest extends SapphireTest {
protected static $fixture_file = 'fixtures.yml';
}mysite/tests/MyNewTest.php
<?php
class MyNewTest extends SapphireTest {
protected static $fixture_file = array(
'fixtures.yml',
'otherfixtures.yml'
);
}
Typically, you'd have a separate fixture file for each class you are testing - although overlap between tests is common.
Fixtures are defined in YAML. YAML is a markup language which is deliberately simple and easy to read, so it is
ideal for fixture generation. Say we have the following two DataObjects:
<?php
class Player extends DataObject {
private static $db = array (
'Name' => 'Varchar(255)'
);
private static $has_one = array(
'Team' => 'Team'
);
}
class Team extends DataObject {
private static $db = array (
'Name' => 'Varchar(255)',
'Origin' => 'Varchar(255)'
);
private static $has_many = array(
'Players' => 'Player'
);
}mysite/tests/fixtures.yml
Team:
hurricanes:
Name: The Hurricanes
Origin: Wellington
crusaders:
Name: The Crusaders
Origin: Canterbury
Player:
john:
Name: John
Team: =>Team.hurricanes
joe:
Name: Joe
Team: =>Team.crusaders
jack:
Name: Jack
Team: =>Team.crusadersindentation, Player and Team, represent the class names of the objects we want to be created.
The second level, john/joe/jack & hurricanes/crusaders, are identifiers. Each identifier you specify
represents a new object and can be referenced in the PHP using objFromFixture
$player = $this->objFromFixture('Player', 'jack');A field can either be provided with raw data (such as the names for our Players), or we can define a relationship, as
seen by the fields prefixed with =>.
Each one of our Players has a relationship to a Team, this is shown with the Team field for each Player being set
to =>Team. followed by a team name.
[info]
Take the player John in our example YAML, his team is the Hurricanes which is represented by =>Team.hurricanes. This
sets the has_one relationship for John with with the Team object hurricanes.
[/info]
[hint] Note that we use the name of the relationship (Team), and not the name of the database field (TeamID). [/hint]
[hint]
Also be aware the target of a relationship must be defined before it is referenced, for example the hurricanes team must appear in the fixture file before the line Team: =>Team.hurricanes.
[/hint]
This style of relationship declaration can be used for any type of relationship (i.e has_one, has_many, many_many).
We can also declare the relationships conversely. Another way we could write the previous example is:
Player:
john:
Name: John
joe:
Name: Joe
jack:
Name: Jack
Team:
hurricanes:
Name: Hurricanes
Origin: Wellington
Players: =>Player.john
crusaders:
Name: Crusaders
Origin: Canterbury
Players: =>Player.joe,=>Player.jackcalling write() on those objects. Take for instance the hurricances record in the YAML. It is equivalent to
writing:
$team = new Team(array(
'Name' => 'Hurricanes',
'Origin' => 'Wellington'
));
$team->write();
$team->Players()->add($john);As the YAML fixtures will call write, any onBeforeWrite() or default value logic will be executed as part of the
test.
[/notice]
Defining many_many_extraFields
many_many relations can have additional database fields attached to the relationship. For example we may want to
declare the role each player has in the team.
class Player extends DataObject {
private static $db = array (
'Name' => 'Varchar(255)'
);
private static $belongs_many_many = array(
'Teams' => 'Team'
);
}
class Team extends DataObject {
private static $db = array (
'Name' => 'Varchar(255)'
);
private static $many_many = array(
'Players' => 'Player'
);
private static $many_many_extraFields = array(
"Players" => array(
"Role" => "Varchar"
)
);
} Player:
john:
Name: John
joe:
Name: Joe
jack:
Name: Jack
Team:
hurricanes:
Name: The Hurricanes
Players:
- =>Player.john: crusaders:
Name: The Crusaders
Players:
- =>Player.joe:
Role: Captain
- =>Player.jack:
Role: WingerWhile manually defined fixtures provide full flexibility, they offer very little in terms of structure and convention.
Alternatively, you can use the FixtureFactory class, which allows you to set default values, callbacks on object creation, and dynamic/lazy value setting.
[hint] SapphireTest uses FixtureFactory under the hood when it is provided with YAML based fixtures. [/hint]
The idea is that rather than instantiating objects directly, we'll have a factory class for them. This factory can have
blueprints defined on it, which tells the factory how to instantiate an object of a specific type. Blueprints need a
name, which is usually set to the class it creates such as Member or Page.
Blueprints are auto-created for all available DataObject subclasses, you only need to instantiate a factory to start using them.
$factory = Injector::inst()->create('FixtureFactory');
$obj = $factory->createObject('Team', 'hurricanes'); $obj = $factory->createObject('Team', 'hurricanes', array(
'Name' => 'My Value'
));It is important to remember that fixtures are referenced by arbitrary identifiers ('hurricanes'). These are internally mapped to their database identifiers. [/warning]
After we've created this object in the factory, getId is used to retrieve it by the identifier.
$databaseId = $factory->getId('Team', 'hurricanes');Default Properties
Blueprints can be overwritten in order to customise their behavior. For example, if a Fixture does not provide a Team
name, we can set the default to be Unknown Team.
$factory->define('Team', array(
'Name' => 'Unknown Team'
));Values can be set on demand through anonymous functions, which can either generate random defaults, or create composite values based on other fixture data.
$factory->define('Member', array(
'Email' => function($obj, $data, $fixtures) {
if(isset($data['FirstName']) {
$obj->Email = strtolower($data['FirstName']) . '@example.org';
}
},
'Score' => function($obj, $data, $fixtures) {
$obj->Score = rand(0,10);
}
));Model relations can be expressed through the same notation as in the YAML fixture format described earlier, through the
=> prefix on data values.
$obj = $factory->createObject('Team', 'hurricanes', array(
'MyHasManyRelation' => '=>Player.john,=>Player.joe'
));Sometimes new model instances need to be modified in ways which can't be expressed in their properties, for example to publish a page, which requires a method call.
$blueprint = Injector::inst()->create('FixtureBlueprint', 'Member');
$blueprint->addCallback('afterCreate', function($obj, $identifier, $data, $fixtures) {
$obj->publish('Stage', 'Live');
});
$page = $factory->define('Page', $blueprint);beforeCreate($identifier, $data, $fixtures)afterCreate($obj, $identifier, $data, $fixtures)
Multiple Blueprints
Data of the same type can have variations, for example forum members vs. CMS admins could both inherit from the Member
class, but have completely different properties. This is where named blueprints come in. By default, blueprint names
equal the class names they manage.
$memberBlueprint = Injector::inst()->create('FixtureBlueprint', 'Member', 'Member');
$adminBlueprint = Injector::inst()->create('FixtureBlueprint', 'AdminMember', 'Member');
$adminBlueprint->addCallback('afterCreate', function($obj, $identifier, $data, $fixtures) {
if(isset($fixtures['Group']['admin'])) {
$adminGroup = Group::get()->byId($fixtures['Group']['admin']);
$obj->Groups()->add($adminGroup);
}
});
$member = $factory->createObject('Member'); // not in admin group
$admin = $factory->createObject('AdminMember'); // in admin group