PHP Testing Standards

Language-level testing standards using PHPUnit, applicable to any PHP project.

PHPUnit Basics

Test Class Structure

<?php declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Test\TestCase\Service;

use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase; use App\Service\UserService;

/**

UserService Test
Tests user service functionality
@covers \App\Service\UserService */ class UserServiceTest extends TestCase { private UserService $service;

protected function setUp(): void { parent::setUp(); $this->service = new UserService(); }

protected function tearDown(): void { unset($this->service); parent::tearDown(); }

public function testSomething(): void { // Test implementation } }

Test Method Naming

// Pattern: test + MethodName + Scenario public function testValidateUserReturnsTrue

WhenDataIsValid(): void {} public function testValidateUserReturnsFalseWhenEmailInvalid(): void {} public function testValidateUserThrowsExceptionWhenAgeNegative(): void {}

// Alternative: use @test annotation /**

@test */ public function it_validates_user_with_valid_data(): void {}

Assertions

Common Assertions

// Equality $this->assertEquals($expected, $actual); $this->assertSame($expected, $actual); // Strict comparison $this->assertNotEquals($expected, $actual);

// Boolean $this->assertTrue($condition); $this->assertFalse($condition);

// Null $this->assertNull($value); $this->assertNotNull($value);

// Empty/Count $this->assertEmpty($array); $this->assertNotEmpty($array); $this->assertCount(3, $array);

// String $this->assertStringContainsString('needle', $haystack); $this->assertStringStartsWith('prefix', $string); $this->assertStringEndsWith('suffix', $string); $this->assertMatchesRegularExpression('/pattern/', $string);

// Array $this->assertContains('value', $array); $this->assertArrayHasKey('key', $array); $this->assertArraySubset($subset, $array);

// Object $this->assertInstanceOf(User::class, $object); $this->assertObjectHasAttribute('property', $object);

// Exception $this->expectException(\InvalidArgumentException::class); $this->expectExceptionMessage('Invalid data');

Custom Assertions

// Add descriptive messages $this->assertEquals( $expected, $actual, 'User name should match expected value' );

// Use assertThat for complex conditions $this->assertThat( $value, $this->logicalAnd( $this->greaterThan(0), $this->lessThan(100) ) );

Test Patterns

AAA Pattern (Arrange-Act-Assert)

public function testUserCreation(): void { // Arrange - Set up test data $userData = [ 'name' => 'John Doe', 'email' => 'john@example.com', ];

// Act - Execute the code under test
$user = $this->service->createUser($userData);

// Assert - Verify the outcome
$this->assertInstanceOf(User::class, $user);
$this->assertEquals('John Doe', $user->getName());
$this->assertEquals('john@example.com', $user->getEmail());

}

Given-When-Then Pattern

public function testUserLogin(): void { // Given - Initial context $user = $this->createAuthenticatedUser(); $credentials = ['email' => 'test@example.com', 'password' => 'secret'];

// When - Event occurs
$result = $this->service->login($credentials);

// Then - Expected outcome
$this->assertTrue($result->isSuccess());
$this->assertEquals($user->getId(), $result->getUserId());

}

Data Providers

Basic Data Provider

/**

@dataProvider validEmailProvider */ public function testValidateEmailWithValidData(string $email): void { $result = $this->validator->validateEmail($email); $this->assertTrue($result); }

public function validEmailProvider(): array { return [ 'standard email' => ['user@example.com'], 'subdomain' => ['user@mail.example.com'], 'plus addressing' => ['user+tag@example.com'], ]; }

Multiple Parameters

/**

@dataProvider userDataProvider */ public function testUserValidation(string $name, int $age, bool $expectedResult): void { $result = $this->validator->validate($name, $age); $this->assertEquals($expectedResult, $result); }

public function userDataProvider(): array { return [ 'valid user' => ['John Doe', 25, true], 'empty name' => ['', 25, false], 'negative age' => ['John Doe', -1, false], 'too young' => ['John Doe', 15, false], ]; }

Test Doubles

Mocks

public function testUserServiceCallsRepository(): void { // Create mock $repository = $this->createMock(UserRepository::class);

// Set expectations
$repository->expects($this->once())
    ->method('findById')
    ->with(1)
    ->willReturn(new User(['id' => 1, 'name' => 'John']));

// Inject mock
$service = new UserService($repository);

// Execute and assert
$user = $service->getUser(1);
$this->assertEquals('John', $user->getName());

}

Stubs

public function testUserServiceWithStub(): void { // Create stub (no expectations) $repository = $this->createStub(UserRepository::class);

// Configure return values
$repository->method('findAll')
    ->willReturn([
        new User(['id' => 1, 'name' => 'John']),
        new User(['id' => 2, 'name' => 'Jane']),
    ]);

$service = new UserService($repository);
$users = $service->getAllUsers();

$this->assertCount(2, $users);

}

Spy

public function testEventWasTriggered(): void { // Create spy $eventDispatcher = $this->createMock(EventDispatcher::class);

// Verify method was called
$eventDispatcher->expects($this->once())
    ->method('dispatch')
    ->with($this->isInstanceOf(UserCreatedEvent::class));

$service = new UserService($eventDispatcher);
$service->createUser(['name' => 'John']);

}

Test Documentation

PHPDoc for Tests

/**

Test user validation with invalid email
Verifies that validation fails when email format is invalid
@return void
@throws \Exception */ public function testValidateUserWithInvalidEmail(): void { $this->expectException(\InvalidArgumentException::class); $this->validator->validate('invalid-email'); }

Test Class Documentation

/**

User Service Test
Comprehensive tests for UserService class including:
- User creation and validation
- Email verification
- Password hashing
- User authentication
@covers \App\Service\UserService
@uses \App\Repository\UserRepository
@uses \App\Entity\User */ class UserServiceTest extends TestCase { // Test methods }

Test Organization

Test File Structure

tests/ ├── Unit/ # Unit tests (isolated, no dependencies) │ ├── Service/ │ │ └── UserServiceTest.php │ └── Entity/ │ └── UserTest.php ├── Integration/ # Integration tests (multiple components) │ └── Repository/ │ └── UserRepositoryTest.php └── Functional/ # Functional tests (end-to-end) └── Api/ └── UserApiTest.php

Test Categories

/**

@group unit
@group user */ class UserServiceTest extends TestCase {}

/**

@group integration
@group database */ class UserRepositoryTest extends TestCase {}

Coverage

Code Coverage Requirements

/**

@covers \App\Service\UserService::createUser
@covers \App\Service\UserService::validateUser */ class UserServiceTest extends TestCase {}

Ignore from Coverage

/**

@codeCoverageIgnore */ class DeprecatedClass {}

/**

@codeCoverageIgnore */ public function legacyMethod(): void {}

Best Practices

// ✅ Test one thing per test public function testUserNameValidation(): void {} public function testUserEmailValidation(): void {}

// ✅ Use descriptive test names public function testValidateUserThrowsExceptionWhenEmailIsEmpty(): void {}

// ✅ Use data providers for similar test cases /**

@dataProvider invalidEmailProvider */ public function testInvalidEmails(string $email): void {}

// ✅ Clean up in tearDown protected function tearDown(): void { $this->cleanupTestData(); parent::tearDown(); }

DON'T

// ❌ Test multiple things in one test public function testEverything(): void { $this->testValidation(); $this->testCreation(); $this->testDeletion(); }

// ❌ Use generic test names public function testMethod1(): void {}

// ❌ Leave test data public function testWithoutCleanup(): void { // Creates test data but never cleans up }

// ❌ Skip tests without reason public function testSomething(): void { $this->markTestSkipped(); // Why? }

Skipped Test Policy

STRICT RULE: @skip or markTestSkipped() are ONLY allowed for features planned for future implementation.

Prohibited Patterns

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Skipping due to complexity /**

@skip Feature is too complex to test */ public function testComplexFeature(): void { $this->markTestSkipped('Too complex'); }

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Skipping due to incomplete fixtures /**

@skip Fixture data incomplete */ public function testWithIncompleteFixture(): void { $this->markTestSkipped('Fixture incomplete'); }

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Skipping due to missing dependencies public function testExternalApiIntegration(): void { $this->markTestSkipped('API not available in test env'); }

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Skipping due to intermittent failures public function testFlaky(): void { $this->markTestSkipped('Test is flaky'); }

Allowed Pattern (ONLY for confirmed future features)

// ✅ ALLOWED: Future feature with version/milestone reference /**

@skip File upload feature will be implemented in v2.0 (TICKET-123) */ public function testFileUploadValidation(): void { $this->markTestSkipped('File upload feature planned for v2.0 - see TICKET-123'); }

Why This Matters

Skipped tests hide real coverage gaps: They create false sense of completeness
"Temporary" skips become permanent debt: Most skipped tests are never fixed
Tests must validate actual production behavior NOW: If production code exists, test MUST execute it
Coverage metrics become meaningless: Skipped tests inflate reported coverage

What To Do Instead

If test fails:

Fix the test: Update assertions, add Fixture data, mock external dependencies correctly
Fix production code: If behavior is wrong, fix the implementation
Remove the test: If testing non-existent feature, delete the test entirely

If test is difficult:

Break down the test: Split complex test into smaller, focused tests
Improve test infrastructure: Add helpers, factories, or fixtures
Mock external dependencies: Email, API calls, file I/O should be mocked
Ask for help: Don't skip - seek assistance to write proper test

If feature doesn't exist:

Don't write the test: Only test actual production code
Future features: Only add @skip with ticket/version reference
Delete misaligned tests: If test references non-existent code, remove it

Enforcement

NEVER skip to make test suite pass. Skipping is NOT a valid solution for:

Incomplete fixtures → Add fixture data
Complex logic → Break down into smaller tests
Flaky tests → Fix the race condition or timing issue
Missing mocks → Properly mock external dependencies
Schema mismatches → Fix migration files and clear cache

Only valid reason to skip: Documented future feature with:

Ticket/issue number
Target version or milestone
Explicit approval from team lead

Test Execution Environment

Docker-Based Test Execution (Recommended)

ALWAYS use Docker containers for PHP tests to ensure consistent PHP version and environment:

✅ CORRECT: Docker-based execution

docker compose -f docker-compose.test.yml run --rm web

With specific test file

TEST_ONLY="./tests/TestCase/Service/UserServiceTest.php"
docker compose -f docker-compose.test.yml run --rm web

With specific test method

TEST_ONLY="--filter testMethodName ./tests/TestCase/Service/UserServiceTest.php"
docker compose -f docker-compose.test.yml run --rm web

Why Docker execution is critical:

Ensures consistent PHP version across all environments
Avoids version mismatch between local and CI/CD
Guarantees same database configuration
Prevents environment-specific test failures

Prohibited Execution Methods

❌ WRONG: Direct localhost execution

vendor/bin/phpunit

❌ WRONG: Composer shortcut (unless explicitly configured)

composer test

❌ WRONG: Direct PHPUnit without container

php vendor/bin/phpunit

Pre-Execution Checklist

Before running tests, verify:

docker-compose.test.yml exists in project root
Dockerfile or Dockerfile.test specifies correct PHP version
Check tests/README.md for project-specific instructions
Verify test database configuration

Environment Configuration

docker-compose.test.yml example

version: '3.8' services: web: build: context: . dockerfile: Dockerfile.test environment: - DB_HOST=db - DB_DATABASE=test_database - PHP_VERSION=8.2 # Match project requirements volumes: - ./:/app depends_on: - db db: image: mysql:8.0 environment: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root MYSQL_DATABASE: test_database

Framework-Agnostic

These standards apply to:

CakePHP with PHPUnit
Laravel with PHPUnit
Symfony with PHPUnit
Any PHP project using PHPUnit

Framework-specific testing patterns (Fixtures, TestCase extensions, etc.) should be defined in framework-level skills (e.g., php-cakephp/testing-conventions ).

testing-standards

Safety Notice

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✅ CORRECT: Docker-based execution

With specific test file

With specific test method

❌ WRONG: Direct localhost execution

❌ WRONG: Composer shortcut (unless explicitly configured)

❌ WRONG: Direct PHPUnit without container

docker-compose.test.yml example

Source Transparency

Related Skills

requirement-analyzer

test-case-designer

test-validator

functional-designer