In this series of articles, I am presenting selected BDD frameworks. In this part, I will talk about Spock – a unit testing framework.

Writing unit tests with Spock framework

Spock is a framework in which the test are written with a language called Groovy. Here the natural language layer is not separated from the logic that is responsible for the test activity, but possesses the keywords given, when, and then, which can help you understand the test.

Test definition in Spock

In the Spock framework, a testing class must inherit from the Specification class:


class CalculateAreaTest extends Specification {
} 

The test begins with the phrase def:


def "Testing methods area of circle"() {
    given: "init"
    def calculateArea = new CalculateArea()
    def radius = 2
    def expectedValue = 12.566370614359172
    when: "Calculation of the circle"
    def result = calculateArea.areaOfCircle(radius)
    then: "Check result"
    result == expectedValue
}

Data Table – testing several values

An interesting option we can use here is the Data Table. Input and output of the test can be provided in the table. So that we can simultaneously check several values in one test.


def "Testing methods area of circle - Data Tables"(int radius, double expectedValue) {
    given: "init"
    def calculateArea = new CalculateArea()
    expect: "Checking the value from the table"
    calculateArea.areaOfCircle(radius) == expectedValue
    where: "Values for the variables"
    radius | expectedValue
         1 | 3.141592653589793
         7 | 153.93804002589985
         0 | 0
}

Testing the calling of a method

Another useful feature of Spock is to test whether a particular method has been performed. This function may be useful to us when the method we are testing comes from some interface and we have to check if it has been called a certain number of times.


def "Testing methods area of square"() {
    given: "init"
    def calculateArea = new CalculateArea()
    def valueX = 2
    def valueY = 2
    def listener = Mock(OnSquareListener)
    def expectedValue = 4
    when: "Calculation of the square"
    calculateArea.areaOfSquare(valueX, valueY, listener)
    then: "Verify that appropriate methods are called"
        1 * listener.onSuccess(expectedValue)
        0 * listener.onFailed()
}

In the code "quantity" determines how many times a given method should be called: quantity * object.method().

Additional elements

Sometimes we need additional Android elements. Such as context, for testing. For such needs, we can use additional annotations:

  • @UseActivity(MyActivity)
  • @UseApplication(MyApplication)
  • @WithContext

Example use of annotations:


class ContextTest extends Specification {
    @WithContext
    def context
    def "Test context"() {
        expect:
        context != null
    }
}

It should be remembered that when we want to use Android elements, a test needs to be placed in the directory: app/src/androidTest/groovy.

However, when we do not need these elements, we put the files in the directory: app/src/test/groovy. All files have the extension .groovy.

The installation of the Android elements proceeds as follows:


buildscript {
  repositories {
    jcenter()
  }

  dependencies {
     classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.2.2'
     classpath 'org.codehaus.groovy:groovy-android-gradle-plugin:1.1.0'
  }
}

Next:


apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
apply plugin: 'groovyx.android'


android {

  defaultConfig {
    ...
    testInstrumentationRunner "android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
  }

  packagingOptions {
    exclude 'META-INF/services/org.codehaus.groovy.transform.ASTTransformation'
    exclude 'LICENSE.txt'
  }
}

dependencies {
//spock without components Android
    testCompile 'org.spockframework:spock-core:1.0-groovy-2.4'

//spock with elements of Android
    androidTestCompile 'org.codehaus.groovy:groovy:2.4.4:grooid'
    androidTestCompile('org.spockframework:spock-core:1.0-groovy-2.4') {
        exclude group: 'org.codehaus.groovy'
        exclude group: 'junit'
    }
    androidTestCompile 'com.andrewreitz:spock-android:1.2.2'
    androidTestCompile 'com.crittercism.dexmaker:dexmaker:1.4'
}

BDD frameworks

Behavior-Driven Development is a useful process for testing application functionality.

Thanks to BDD testing tools like Calabash used with the Cucumber framework or Green Coffee based on Gherkin, everyone involved in the project can easily verify the views of the Android app being designed. And check if the functionalities fulfill the criteria for acceptance that were stated in the requirements.

The Spock framework helps Unit testing be performed efficiently. Now the communication between programmer, manager and customer will be clear, and automated software testing will end in success!

Check our previous article: BDD frameworks (part 2).


You can find the source code on my GitHub.


Wojciech Szóstak Mobile Developer

Wojtek is a mobile developer at Zaven. He mostly works on android apps and enhances his knowledge about software testing (like BDD). In his spare time, Wojtek enjoys martial arts - he exercises several times a week!

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