701 lines
28 KiB
Markdown
701 lines
28 KiB
Markdown
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# gMock for Dummies
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## What Is gMock?
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When you write a prototype or test, often it's not feasible or wise to rely on
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real objects entirely. A **mock object** implements the same interface as a real
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object (so it can be used as one), but lets you specify at run time how it will
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be used and what it should do (which methods will be called? in which order? how
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many times? with what arguments? what will they return? etc).
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It is easy to confuse the term *fake objects* with mock objects. Fakes and mocks
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actually mean very different things in the Test-Driven Development (TDD)
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community:
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* **Fake** objects have working implementations, but usually take some
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shortcut (perhaps to make the operations less expensive), which makes them
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not suitable for production. An in-memory file system would be an example of
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a fake.
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* **Mocks** are objects pre-programmed with *expectations*, which form a
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specification of the calls they are expected to receive.
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If all this seems too abstract for you, don't worry - the most important thing
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to remember is that a mock allows you to check the *interaction* between itself
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and code that uses it. The difference between fakes and mocks shall become much
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clearer once you start to use mocks.
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**gMock** is a library (sometimes we also call it a "framework" to make it sound
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cool) for creating mock classes and using them. It does to C++ what
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jMock/EasyMock does to Java (well, more or less).
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When using gMock,
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1. first, you use some simple macros to describe the interface you want to
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mock, and they will expand to the implementation of your mock class;
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2. next, you create some mock objects and specify its expectations and behavior
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using an intuitive syntax;
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3. then you exercise code that uses the mock objects. gMock will catch any
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violation to the expectations as soon as it arises.
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## Why gMock?
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While mock objects help you remove unnecessary dependencies in tests and make
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them fast and reliable, using mocks manually in C++ is *hard*:
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* Someone has to implement the mocks. The job is usually tedious and
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error-prone. No wonder people go great distance to avoid it.
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* The quality of those manually written mocks is a bit, uh, unpredictable. You
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may see some really polished ones, but you may also see some that were
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hacked up in a hurry and have all sorts of ad hoc restrictions.
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* The knowledge you gained from using one mock doesn't transfer to the next
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one.
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In contrast, Java and Python programmers have some fine mock frameworks (jMock,
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EasyMock, etc), which automate the creation of mocks. As a result, mocking is a
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proven effective technique and widely adopted practice in those communities.
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Having the right tool absolutely makes the difference.
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gMock was built to help C++ programmers. It was inspired by jMock and EasyMock,
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but designed with C++'s specifics in mind. It is your friend if any of the
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following problems is bothering you:
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* You are stuck with a sub-optimal design and wish you had done more
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prototyping before it was too late, but prototyping in C++ is by no means
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"rapid".
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* Your tests are slow as they depend on too many libraries or use expensive
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resources (e.g. a database).
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* Your tests are brittle as some resources they use are unreliable (e.g. the
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network).
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* You want to test how your code handles a failure (e.g. a file checksum
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error), but it's not easy to cause one.
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* You need to make sure that your module interacts with other modules in the
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right way, but it's hard to observe the interaction; therefore you resort to
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observing the side effects at the end of the action, but it's awkward at
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best.
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* You want to "mock out" your dependencies, except that they don't have mock
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implementations yet; and, frankly, you aren't thrilled by some of those
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hand-written mocks.
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We encourage you to use gMock as
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* a *design* tool, for it lets you experiment with your interface design early
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and often. More iterations lead to better designs!
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* a *testing* tool to cut your tests' outbound dependencies and probe the
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interaction between your module and its collaborators.
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## Getting Started
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gMock is bundled with googletest.
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## A Case for Mock Turtles
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Let's look at an example. Suppose you are developing a graphics program that
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relies on a [LOGO](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_programming_language)-like
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API for drawing. How would you test that it does the right thing? Well, you can
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run it and compare the screen with a golden screen snapshot, but let's admit it:
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tests like this are expensive to run and fragile (What if you just upgraded to a
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shiny new graphics card that has better anti-aliasing? Suddenly you have to
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update all your golden images.). It would be too painful if all your tests are
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like this. Fortunately, you learned about
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[Dependency Injection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency_injection) and know the right thing
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to do: instead of having your application talk to the system API directly, wrap
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the API in an interface (say, `Turtle`) and code to that interface:
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```cpp
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class Turtle {
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...
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virtual ~Turtle() {}
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virtual void PenUp() = 0;
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virtual void PenDown() = 0;
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virtual void Forward(int distance) = 0;
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virtual void Turn(int degrees) = 0;
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virtual void GoTo(int x, int y) = 0;
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virtual int GetX() const = 0;
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virtual int GetY() const = 0;
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};
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```
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(Note that the destructor of `Turtle` **must** be virtual, as is the case for
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**all** classes you intend to inherit from - otherwise the destructor of the
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derived class will not be called when you delete an object through a base
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pointer, and you'll get corrupted program states like memory leaks.)
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You can control whether the turtle's movement will leave a trace using `PenUp()`
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and `PenDown()`, and control its movement using `Forward()`, `Turn()`, and
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`GoTo()`. Finally, `GetX()` and `GetY()` tell you the current position of the
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turtle.
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Your program will normally use a real implementation of this interface. In
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tests, you can use a mock implementation instead. This allows you to easily
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check what drawing primitives your program is calling, with what arguments, and
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in which order. Tests written this way are much more robust (they won't break
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because your new machine does anti-aliasing differently), easier to read and
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maintain (the intent of a test is expressed in the code, not in some binary
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images), and run *much, much faster*.
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## Writing the Mock Class
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If you are lucky, the mocks you need to use have already been implemented by
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some nice people. If, however, you find yourself in the position to write a mock
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class, relax - gMock turns this task into a fun game! (Well, almost.)
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### How to Define It
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Using the `Turtle` interface as example, here are the simple steps you need to
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follow:
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* Derive a class `MockTurtle` from `Turtle`.
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* Take a *virtual* function of `Turtle` (while it's possible to
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[mock non-virtual methods using templates](gmock_cook_book.md#MockingNonVirtualMethods),
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it's much more involved).
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* In the `public:` section of the child class, write `MOCK_METHOD();`
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* Now comes the fun part: you take the function signature, cut-and-paste it
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into the macro, and add two commas - one between the return type and the
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name, another between the name and the argument list.
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* If you're mocking a const method, add a 4th parameter containing `(const)`
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(the parentheses are required).
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* Since you're overriding a virtual method, we suggest adding the `override`
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keyword. For const methods the 4th parameter becomes `(const, override)`,
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for non-const methods just `(override)`. This isn't mandatory.
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* Repeat until all virtual functions you want to mock are done. (It goes
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without saying that *all* pure virtual methods in your abstract class must
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be either mocked or overridden.)
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After the process, you should have something like:
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```cpp
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#include "gmock/gmock.h" // Brings in gMock.
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class MockTurtle : public Turtle {
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public:
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...
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MOCK_METHOD(void, PenUp, (), (override));
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MOCK_METHOD(void, PenDown, (), (override));
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MOCK_METHOD(void, Forward, (int distance), (override));
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MOCK_METHOD(void, Turn, (int degrees), (override));
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MOCK_METHOD(void, GoTo, (int x, int y), (override));
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MOCK_METHOD(int, GetX, (), (const, override));
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MOCK_METHOD(int, GetY, (), (const, override));
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};
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```
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You don't need to define these mock methods somewhere else - the `MOCK_METHOD`
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macro will generate the definitions for you. It's that simple!
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### Where to Put It
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When you define a mock class, you need to decide where to put its definition.
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Some people put it in a `_test.cc`. This is fine when the interface being mocked
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(say, `Foo`) is owned by the same person or team. Otherwise, when the owner of
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`Foo` changes it, your test could break. (You can't really expect `Foo`'s
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maintainer to fix every test that uses `Foo`, can you?)
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So, the rule of thumb is: if you need to mock `Foo` and it's owned by others,
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define the mock class in `Foo`'s package (better, in a `testing` sub-package
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such that you can clearly separate production code and testing utilities), put
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it in a `.h` and a `cc_library`. Then everyone can reference them from their
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tests. If `Foo` ever changes, there is only one copy of `MockFoo` to change, and
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only tests that depend on the changed methods need to be fixed.
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Another way to do it: you can introduce a thin layer `FooAdaptor` on top of
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`Foo` and code to this new interface. Since you own `FooAdaptor`, you can absorb
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changes in `Foo` much more easily. While this is more work initially, carefully
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choosing the adaptor interface can make your code easier to write and more
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readable (a net win in the long run), as you can choose `FooAdaptor` to fit your
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specific domain much better than `Foo` does.
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## Using Mocks in Tests
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Once you have a mock class, using it is easy. The typical work flow is:
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1. Import the gMock names from the `testing` namespace such that you can use
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them unqualified (You only have to do it once per file). Remember that
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namespaces are a good idea.
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2. Create some mock objects.
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3. Specify your expectations on them (How many times will a method be called?
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With what arguments? What should it do? etc.).
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4. Exercise some code that uses the mocks; optionally, check the result using
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googletest assertions. If a mock method is called more than expected or with
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wrong arguments, you'll get an error immediately.
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5. When a mock is destructed, gMock will automatically check whether all
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expectations on it have been satisfied.
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Here's an example:
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```cpp
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#include "path/to/mock-turtle.h"
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#include "gmock/gmock.h"
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#include "gtest/gtest.h"
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using ::testing::AtLeast; // #1
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TEST(PainterTest, CanDrawSomething) {
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MockTurtle turtle; // #2
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EXPECT_CALL(turtle, PenDown()) // #3
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.Times(AtLeast(1));
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Painter painter(&turtle); // #4
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EXPECT_TRUE(painter.DrawCircle(0, 0, 10)); // #5
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}
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```
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As you might have guessed, this test checks that `PenDown()` is called at least
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once. If the `painter` object didn't call this method, your test will fail with
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a message like this:
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```text
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path/to/my_test.cc:119: Failure
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Actual function call count doesn't match this expectation:
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Actually: never called;
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Expected: called at least once.
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Stack trace:
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...
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```
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**Tip 1:** If you run the test from an Emacs buffer, you can hit `<Enter>` on
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the line number to jump right to the failed expectation.
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**Tip 2:** If your mock objects are never deleted, the final verification won't
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happen. Therefore it's a good idea to turn on the heap checker in your tests
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when you allocate mocks on the heap. You get that automatically if you use the
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`gtest_main` library already.
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**Important note:** gMock requires expectations to be set **before** the mock
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functions are called, otherwise the behavior is **undefined**. Do not alternate
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between calls to `EXPECT_CALL()` and calls to the mock functions, and do not set
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any expectations on a mock after passing the mock to an API.
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This means `EXPECT_CALL()` should be read as expecting that a call will occur
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*in the future*, not that a call has occurred. Why does gMock work like that?
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Well, specifying the expectation beforehand allows gMock to report a violation
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as soon as it rises, when the context (stack trace, etc) is still available.
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This makes debugging much easier.
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Admittedly, this test is contrived and doesn't do much. You can easily achieve
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the same effect without using gMock. However, as we shall reveal soon, gMock
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allows you to do *so much more* with the mocks.
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## Setting Expectations
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The key to using a mock object successfully is to set the *right expectations*
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on it. If you set the expectations too strict, your test will fail as the result
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of unrelated changes. If you set them too loose, bugs can slip through. You want
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to do it just right such that your test can catch exactly the kind of bugs you
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intend it to catch. gMock provides the necessary means for you to do it "just
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right."
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### General Syntax
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In gMock we use the `EXPECT_CALL()` macro to set an expectation on a mock
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method. The general syntax is:
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```cpp
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EXPECT_CALL(mock_object, method(matchers))
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.Times(cardinality)
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.WillOnce(action)
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.WillRepeatedly(action);
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```
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The macro has two arguments: first the mock object, and then the method and its
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arguments. Note that the two are separated by a comma (`,`), not a period (`.`).
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(Why using a comma? The answer is that it was necessary for technical reasons.)
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If the method is not overloaded, the macro can also be called without matchers:
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```cpp
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EXPECT_CALL(mock_object, non-overloaded-method)
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.Times(cardinality)
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.WillOnce(action)
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.WillRepeatedly(action);
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```
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This syntax allows the test writer to specify "called with any arguments"
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without explicitly specifying the number or types of arguments. To avoid
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unintended ambiguity, this syntax may only be used for methods that are not
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overloaded.
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Either form of the macro can be followed by some optional *clauses* that provide
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more information about the expectation. We'll discuss how each clause works in
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the coming sections.
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This syntax is designed to make an expectation read like English. For example,
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you can probably guess that
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```cpp
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using ::testing::Return;
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...
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EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
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.Times(5)
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.WillOnce(Return(100))
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.WillOnce(Return(150))
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.WillRepeatedly(Return(200));
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```
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says that the `turtle` object's `GetX()` method will be called five times, it
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will return 100 the first time, 150 the second time, and then 200 every time.
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Some people like to call this style of syntax a Domain-Specific Language (DSL).
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{: .callout .note}
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**Note:** Why do we use a macro to do this? Well it serves two purposes: first
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it makes expectations easily identifiable (either by `grep` or by a human
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reader), and second it allows gMock to include the source file location of a
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failed expectation in messages, making debugging easier.
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### Matchers: What Arguments Do We Expect?
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When a mock function takes arguments, we may specify what arguments we are
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expecting, for example:
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```cpp
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// Expects the turtle to move forward by 100 units.
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EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(100));
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```
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Oftentimes you do not want to be too specific. Remember that talk about tests
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being too rigid? Over specification leads to brittle tests and obscures the
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intent of tests. Therefore we encourage you to specify only what's necessary—no
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more, no less. If you aren't interested in the value of an argument, write `_`
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as the argument, which means "anything goes":
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```cpp
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using ::testing::_;
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...
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// Expects that the turtle jumps to somewhere on the x=50 line.
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EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo(50, _));
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```
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`_` is an instance of what we call **matchers**. A matcher is like a predicate
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and can test whether an argument is what we'd expect. You can use a matcher
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inside `EXPECT_CALL()` wherever a function argument is expected. `_` is a
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convenient way of saying "any value".
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In the above examples, `100` and `50` are also matchers; implicitly, they are
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the same as `Eq(100)` and `Eq(50)`, which specify that the argument must be
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equal (using `operator==`) to the matcher argument. There are many
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[built-in matchers](reference/matchers.md) for common types (as well as
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[custom matchers](gmock_cook_book.md#NewMatchers)); for example:
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```cpp
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using ::testing::Ge;
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...
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// Expects the turtle moves forward by at least 100.
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EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(Ge(100)));
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```
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If you don't care about *any* arguments, rather than specify `_` for each of
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them you may instead omit the parameter list:
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```cpp
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// Expects the turtle to move forward.
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EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward);
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// Expects the turtle to jump somewhere.
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EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo);
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```
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This works for all non-overloaded methods; if a method is overloaded, you need
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||
|
to help gMock resolve which overload is expected by specifying the number of
|
||
|
arguments and possibly also the
|
||
|
[types of the arguments](gmock_cook_book.md#SelectOverload).
|
||
|
|
||
|
### Cardinalities: How Many Times Will It Be Called?
|
||
|
|
||
|
The first clause we can specify following an `EXPECT_CALL()` is `Times()`. We
|
||
|
call its argument a **cardinality** as it tells *how many times* the call should
|
||
|
occur. It allows us to repeat an expectation many times without actually writing
|
||
|
it as many times. More importantly, a cardinality can be "fuzzy", just like a
|
||
|
matcher can be. This allows a user to express the intent of a test exactly.
|
||
|
|
||
|
An interesting special case is when we say `Times(0)`. You may have guessed - it
|
||
|
means that the function shouldn't be called with the given arguments at all, and
|
||
|
gMock will report a googletest failure whenever the function is (wrongfully)
|
||
|
called.
|
||
|
|
||
|
We've seen `AtLeast(n)` as an example of fuzzy cardinalities earlier. For the
|
||
|
list of built-in cardinalities you can use, see
|
||
|
[here](gmock_cheat_sheet.md#CardinalityList).
|
||
|
|
||
|
The `Times()` clause can be omitted. **If you omit `Times()`, gMock will infer
|
||
|
the cardinality for you.** The rules are easy to remember:
|
||
|
|
||
|
* If **neither** `WillOnce()` **nor** `WillRepeatedly()` is in the
|
||
|
`EXPECT_CALL()`, the inferred cardinality is `Times(1)`.
|
||
|
* If there are *n* `WillOnce()`'s but **no** `WillRepeatedly()`, where *n* >=
|
||
|
1, the cardinality is `Times(n)`.
|
||
|
* If there are *n* `WillOnce()`'s and **one** `WillRepeatedly()`, where *n* >=
|
||
|
0, the cardinality is `Times(AtLeast(n))`.
|
||
|
|
||
|
**Quick quiz:** what do you think will happen if a function is expected to be
|
||
|
called twice but actually called four times?
|
||
|
|
||
|
### Actions: What Should It Do?
|
||
|
|
||
|
Remember that a mock object doesn't really have a working implementation? We as
|
||
|
users have to tell it what to do when a method is invoked. This is easy in
|
||
|
gMock.
|
||
|
|
||
|
First, if the return type of a mock function is a built-in type or a pointer,
|
||
|
the function has a **default action** (a `void` function will just return, a
|
||
|
`bool` function will return `false`, and other functions will return 0). In
|
||
|
addition, in C++ 11 and above, a mock function whose return type is
|
||
|
default-constructible (i.e. has a default constructor) has a default action of
|
||
|
returning a default-constructed value. If you don't say anything, this behavior
|
||
|
will be used.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Second, if a mock function doesn't have a default action, or the default action
|
||
|
doesn't suit you, you can specify the action to be taken each time the
|
||
|
expectation matches using a series of `WillOnce()` clauses followed by an
|
||
|
optional `WillRepeatedly()`. For example,
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::Return;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(100))
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(200))
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(300));
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
says that `turtle.GetX()` will be called *exactly three times* (gMock inferred
|
||
|
this from how many `WillOnce()` clauses we've written, since we didn't
|
||
|
explicitly write `Times()`), and will return 100, 200, and 300 respectively.
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::Return;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetY())
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(100))
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(200))
|
||
|
.WillRepeatedly(Return(300));
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
says that `turtle.GetY()` will be called *at least twice* (gMock knows this as
|
||
|
we've written two `WillOnce()` clauses and a `WillRepeatedly()` while having no
|
||
|
explicit `Times()`), will return 100 and 200 respectively the first two times,
|
||
|
and 300 from the third time on.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Of course, if you explicitly write a `Times()`, gMock will not try to infer the
|
||
|
cardinality itself. What if the number you specified is larger than there are
|
||
|
`WillOnce()` clauses? Well, after all `WillOnce()`s are used up, gMock will do
|
||
|
the *default* action for the function every time (unless, of course, you have a
|
||
|
`WillRepeatedly()`.).
|
||
|
|
||
|
What can we do inside `WillOnce()` besides `Return()`? You can return a
|
||
|
reference using `ReturnRef(*variable*)`, or invoke a pre-defined function, among
|
||
|
[others](gmock_cook_book.md#using-actions).
|
||
|
|
||
|
**Important note:** The `EXPECT_CALL()` statement evaluates the action clause
|
||
|
only once, even though the action may be performed many times. Therefore you
|
||
|
must be careful about side effects. The following may not do what you want:
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::Return;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
int n = 100;
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
|
||
|
.Times(4)
|
||
|
.WillRepeatedly(Return(n++));
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
Instead of returning 100, 101, 102, ..., consecutively, this mock function will
|
||
|
always return 100 as `n++` is only evaluated once. Similarly, `Return(new Foo)`
|
||
|
will create a new `Foo` object when the `EXPECT_CALL()` is executed, and will
|
||
|
return the same pointer every time. If you want the side effect to happen every
|
||
|
time, you need to define a custom action, which we'll teach in the
|
||
|
[cook book](gmock_cook_book.md).
|
||
|
|
||
|
Time for another quiz! What do you think the following means?
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::Return;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetY())
|
||
|
.Times(4)
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(100));
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
Obviously `turtle.GetY()` is expected to be called four times. But if you think
|
||
|
it will return 100 every time, think twice! Remember that one `WillOnce()`
|
||
|
clause will be consumed each time the function is invoked and the default action
|
||
|
will be taken afterwards. So the right answer is that `turtle.GetY()` will
|
||
|
return 100 the first time, but **return 0 from the second time on**, as
|
||
|
returning 0 is the default action for `int` functions.
|
||
|
|
||
|
### Using Multiple Expectations {#MultiExpectations}
|
||
|
|
||
|
So far we've only shown examples where you have a single expectation. More
|
||
|
realistically, you'll specify expectations on multiple mock methods which may be
|
||
|
from multiple mock objects.
|
||
|
|
||
|
By default, when a mock method is invoked, gMock will search the expectations in
|
||
|
the **reverse order** they are defined, and stop when an active expectation that
|
||
|
matches the arguments is found (you can think of it as "newer rules override
|
||
|
older ones."). If the matching expectation cannot take any more calls, you will
|
||
|
get an upper-bound-violated failure. Here's an example:
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::_;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(_)); // #1
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(10)) // #2
|
||
|
.Times(2);
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
If `Forward(10)` is called three times in a row, the third time it will be an
|
||
|
error, as the last matching expectation (#2) has been saturated. If, however,
|
||
|
the third `Forward(10)` call is replaced by `Forward(20)`, then it would be OK,
|
||
|
as now #1 will be the matching expectation.
|
||
|
|
||
|
{: .callout .note}
|
||
|
**Note:** Why does gMock search for a match in the *reverse* order of the
|
||
|
expectations? The reason is that this allows a user to set up the default
|
||
|
expectations in a mock object's constructor or the test fixture's set-up phase
|
||
|
and then customize the mock by writing more specific expectations in the test
|
||
|
body. So, if you have two expectations on the same method, you want to put the
|
||
|
one with more specific matchers **after** the other, or the more specific rule
|
||
|
would be shadowed by the more general one that comes after it.
|
||
|
|
||
|
{: .callout .tip}
|
||
|
**Tip:** It is very common to start with a catch-all expectation for a method
|
||
|
and `Times(AnyNumber())` (omitting arguments, or with `_` for all arguments, if
|
||
|
overloaded). This makes any calls to the method expected. This is not necessary
|
||
|
for methods that are not mentioned at all (these are "uninteresting"), but is
|
||
|
useful for methods that have some expectations, but for which other calls are
|
||
|
ok. See
|
||
|
[Understanding Uninteresting vs Unexpected Calls](gmock_cook_book.md#uninteresting-vs-unexpected).
|
||
|
|
||
|
### Ordered vs Unordered Calls {#OrderedCalls}
|
||
|
|
||
|
By default, an expectation can match a call even though an earlier expectation
|
||
|
hasn't been satisfied. In other words, the calls don't have to occur in the
|
||
|
order the expectations are specified.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Sometimes, you may want all the expected calls to occur in a strict order. To
|
||
|
say this in gMock is easy:
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::InSequence;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
TEST(FooTest, DrawsLineSegment) {
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
{
|
||
|
InSequence seq;
|
||
|
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, PenDown());
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(100));
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, PenUp());
|
||
|
}
|
||
|
Foo();
|
||
|
}
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
By creating an object of type `InSequence`, all expectations in its scope are
|
||
|
put into a *sequence* and have to occur *sequentially*. Since we are just
|
||
|
relying on the constructor and destructor of this object to do the actual work,
|
||
|
its name is really irrelevant.
|
||
|
|
||
|
In this example, we test that `Foo()` calls the three expected functions in the
|
||
|
order as written. If a call is made out-of-order, it will be an error.
|
||
|
|
||
|
(What if you care about the relative order of some of the calls, but not all of
|
||
|
them? Can you specify an arbitrary partial order? The answer is ... yes! The
|
||
|
details can be found [here](gmock_cook_book.md#OrderedCalls).)
|
||
|
|
||
|
### All Expectations Are Sticky (Unless Said Otherwise) {#StickyExpectations}
|
||
|
|
||
|
Now let's do a quick quiz to see how well you can use this mock stuff already.
|
||
|
How would you test that the turtle is asked to go to the origin *exactly twice*
|
||
|
(you want to ignore any other instructions it receives)?
|
||
|
|
||
|
After you've come up with your answer, take a look at ours and compare notes
|
||
|
(solve it yourself first - don't cheat!):
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::_;
|
||
|
using ::testing::AnyNumber;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo(_, _)) // #1
|
||
|
.Times(AnyNumber());
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo(0, 0)) // #2
|
||
|
.Times(2);
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
Suppose `turtle.GoTo(0, 0)` is called three times. In the third time, gMock will
|
||
|
see that the arguments match expectation #2 (remember that we always pick the
|
||
|
last matching expectation). Now, since we said that there should be only two
|
||
|
such calls, gMock will report an error immediately. This is basically what we've
|
||
|
told you in the [Using Multiple Expectations](#MultiExpectations) section above.
|
||
|
|
||
|
This example shows that **expectations in gMock are "sticky" by default**, in
|
||
|
the sense that they remain active even after we have reached their invocation
|
||
|
upper bounds. This is an important rule to remember, as it affects the meaning
|
||
|
of the spec, and is **different** to how it's done in many other mocking
|
||
|
frameworks (Why'd we do that? Because we think our rule makes the common cases
|
||
|
easier to express and understand.).
|
||
|
|
||
|
Simple? Let's see if you've really understood it: what does the following code
|
||
|
say?
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::Return;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
for (int i = n; i > 0; i--) {
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(10*i));
|
||
|
}
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
If you think it says that `turtle.GetX()` will be called `n` times and will
|
||
|
return 10, 20, 30, ..., consecutively, think twice! The problem is that, as we
|
||
|
said, expectations are sticky. So, the second time `turtle.GetX()` is called,
|
||
|
the last (latest) `EXPECT_CALL()` statement will match, and will immediately
|
||
|
lead to an "upper bound violated" error - this piece of code is not very useful!
|
||
|
|
||
|
One correct way of saying that `turtle.GetX()` will return 10, 20, 30, ..., is
|
||
|
to explicitly say that the expectations are *not* sticky. In other words, they
|
||
|
should *retire* as soon as they are saturated:
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::Return;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
for (int i = n; i > 0; i--) {
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(10*i))
|
||
|
.RetiresOnSaturation();
|
||
|
}
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
And, there's a better way to do it: in this case, we expect the calls to occur
|
||
|
in a specific order, and we line up the actions to match the order. Since the
|
||
|
order is important here, we should make it explicit using a sequence:
|
||
|
|
||
|
```cpp
|
||
|
using ::testing::InSequence;
|
||
|
using ::testing::Return;
|
||
|
...
|
||
|
{
|
||
|
InSequence s;
|
||
|
|
||
|
for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
|
||
|
EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
|
||
|
.WillOnce(Return(10*i))
|
||
|
.RetiresOnSaturation();
|
||
|
}
|
||
|
}
|
||
|
```
|
||
|
|
||
|
By the way, the other situation where an expectation may *not* be sticky is when
|
||
|
it's in a sequence - as soon as another expectation that comes after it in the
|
||
|
sequence has been used, it automatically retires (and will never be used to
|
||
|
match any call).
|
||
|
|
||
|
### Uninteresting Calls
|
||
|
|
||
|
A mock object may have many methods, and not all of them are that interesting.
|
||
|
For example, in some tests we may not care about how many times `GetX()` and
|
||
|
`GetY()` get called.
|
||
|
|
||
|
In gMock, if you are not interested in a method, just don't say anything about
|
||
|
it. If a call to this method occurs, you'll see a warning in the test output,
|
||
|
but it won't be a failure. This is called "naggy" behavior; to change, see
|
||
|
[The Nice, the Strict, and the Naggy](gmock_cook_book.md#NiceStrictNaggy).
|