moult / delivery-tests

delivery-tests

Issue: testing the delivery layer is painful if done incorrectly.

Why?

1. Using Laravel's phpunit based browser API to run a full stack test is enticing, but it only works within Laravel, and despite advertising testing through the template, it doesn't handle dynamic template testing.
2. Writing full stack tests for each usecase scenario causes a build-up of slow running tests that usually require complex setups on DB and third party systems.
3. Controller and view logic can grow to be relatively complex (i18n, geodetection issues, cookie and session handling). Testing has to be done.
4. Controllers and views must be tested separately. Laravel makes this quite hard.
5. Current delivery is not PSR-7 based, despite Laravel supporting it.
6. Testing controller logic involves inspecting Requests and Responses, which Laravel hides within its magic.
7. Testing superglobals? Funny REST stuff? Have fun!

Solution:

1. Use Behat + Mink to run full stack tests. One full stack test per route, to function as a smoke test (only test for lack of errors and a rendered output).
2. Move the controllers and views into our own namespace isolated from Laravel.
3. Views are simple data massagers and are easy to test.
4. Controllers perform HTTP logic. Therefore we must test through a PSR7 Request and Response. A mocked Loader and Renderer tool allows us to play out usecase scenarios and check that the view receives the results it needs.