Angular 2 - Emulating Encapsulated Properties

Although I understand that it's best to test code by consuming it the same way it will be in production and therefore not directly dealing with private properties and methods, TypeScript is causing me some confusion.

I have a user service.

// user.service.ts
import {Injectable} from '@angular/core';
import {AppHttpService} from '../app-http/app-http.service'
@Injectable()
export class UserService {

  constructor(private appHttp: AppHttpService) {
  }
}

As shown, it depends on an appHttp service which has private properties and methods. Let's say it looks like this:

// app-http.service.ts
@Injectable()
export class AppHttpService {
  private apiUrl     = 'my domain';
  constructor(private http: Http, private authHttp: AuthHttp) {
  }

  post(body): Observable<any> {
     return this.http.post(this.apiUrl, body)
        .map((res)=>res)
        .catch((err)=>null);
  }
}

In order to run an isolated test on my user service, I would like to provide it with a simple mock of my appHttp service. However, if I only mock the public methods and properties of appHttp and provide it to my constructor like this:

// user.service.spec.ts
describe('', () => {
  let appHttpMock = {
    post: jasmine.createSpy('post')
  };
  let service = new UserService(appHttpMock);
  beforeEach(() => {
  })
  it('', () => {
  })
})

I receive an error message stating:

Error:(11, 33) TS2345:Argument of type '{ post: Spy; }' is not assignable to parameter of type 'AppHttpService'.  Property 'apiUrl' is missing in type '{ post: Spy; }'.

If I modify my mock to simply add the property, I encounter another error complaining that it's not private. If I create a proper mock class like this:

// app-http.mock.ts
export class AppHttpMockService {
  private apiUrl     = 'my domain';

  constructor() {
  }

  post() {
  }
}

I still face yet another TypeScript error:

Error:(8, 33) TS2345:Argument of type 'AppHttpMockService' is not assignable to parameter of type 'AppHttpService'. Types have separate declarations of a private property 'apiUrl'.

What is a more efficient way to conduct isolated tests (without having to spend time setting up a testbed) without facing issues with TypeScript over the private properties and methods of the mock?

Answer №1

In the world of TypeScript, one must consider whether the private keyword is truly necessary or if it may be causing more harm than good.

While I am a strong supporter of TypeScript, I find myself rarely using the private keyword due to its limitations and potential drawbacks.

Instead of effectively restricting access to members at runtime, private simply serves to narrow the public interface of an abstraction.

This approach can give developers a false sense of security in terms of encapsulation and may lead them to stray from proven JavaScript techniques like closures that offer true privacy enforcement.

In cases where true privacy is needed, it may be more beneficial to declare functions externally to a class and not export them from the containing module.

Furthermore, as ECMAScript explores the concept of real private properties with a different syntax and semantics, the use of TypeScript's private may present conflicts in the future.

While I don't advocate completely abandoning the use of private, in situations where it poses challenges, removing the modifier altogether may be the simplest resolution.

It's also important to consider the implications of excessive mutable state, regardless of whether it is designated as private or not. Opting for a get without a corresponding set often proves to be the most effective strategy for defining class properties.

Answer №2

If you're looking for a solution, consider leveraging interfaces:

export interface IHttpCommunicationService { post(data):Observable<any>; }

export class HttpCommunicationService implements IHttpCommunicationService { ... } 

export class UserOperation {
  constructor(@Inject(HttpCommunicationService) private httpComm: IHttpCommunicationService) {
  }
}

Answer №3

Dealing with a similar problem, I came across a solution that doesn't involve using jasmine.createSpy:

import { Service } from 'my-service';

class ServiceMock {
    service(param: string): void { // do mocking things }
}

function factoryServiceMock(): any {
    return new ServiceMock();
}

// user.service.spec.ts
describe('', () => {
    const serviceMocked = factoryServiceMock() as Service;
    const userService = new UserService(serviceMocked);
    beforeEach(() => {
    });
    it('', () => {
    });
});

This may not be the optimal solution, but it effectively handles the mocking strategy without relying on Testbed.

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