Exploring directive unit testing in Angular without the use of TestBed and Component

I successfully implemented Unit Testing for a directive and it is working fine. However, I am curious to know if there is a way to test it without using a component and TestBed. How can I make improvements in my current setup? Also, what is the concept behind creating a TestComponent and using TestBed?

Below is the code snippet of the directive:

@Directive({
  selector: '[ngModel][endOfSeasonValidation]',
  providers: [
    {
      provide: NG_VALIDATORS,
      useExisting: forwardRef(() => EndOfSeasonValidationDirective),
      multi: true,
    },
  ],
})
export class EndOfSeasonValidationDirective extends AbstractValidatorDirective {
  @Input('beginDate')
  public beginDate: Date | null;

  @Input('startOfSeason')
  public startOfSeason: number | null;

  public validate(control: AbstractControl): ValidationErrors | null {
    const endOfSeason = control.value;

    if (!endOfSeason || !this.startOfSeason || !this.beginDate) {
      return null;
    }

    if (
      endOfSeason === this.startOfSeason ||
      endOfSeason + (endOfSeason < this.startOfSeason ? 12 : 0) - this.startOfSeason === 11
    ) {
      return { isInvalid: true };
    }

    return null;
  }
}

And here is how the unit testing code looks like:

@Component({
  template: `
    <form>
      <select
        endOfSeasonValidation
        [ngModel]="endOfSeason"
        name="endOfSeason"
        [beginDate]="beginDate"
        [startOfSeason]="startOfSeason"
      ></select>
    </form>
  `,
})
class EndOfSeasonValidationTestComponent {
  public beginDate = new Date('2020-01-16');
  public startOfSeason: number | null;
  public endOfSeason: number | null;
  @ViewChild(NgForm, { static: true })
  public form: NgForm;
}

describe('EndOfSeasonValidationDirective', () => {
  let fixture: ComponentFixture<EndOfSeasonValidationTestComponent>;
  let form: NgForm;
  beforeEach(async () => {
    await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
      declarations: [
        EndOfSeasonValidationTestComponent,
        EndOfSeasonValidationDirective,
        DateAccessorPluginDirective,
        SelectAccessorDirective,
      ],
      imports: [FormsModule],
    }).compileComponents();
    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(EndOfSeasonValidationTestComponent);
    fixture.detectChanges();
    await fixture.whenStable();
    form = fixture.componentInstance.form;
  });
  it('should not validate if beginDate or startOfSeason or endOfSeason are not given', async () => {
    fixture.componentInstance.beginDate = new Date('2020-01-01');
    fixture.detectChanges();
    await fixture.whenStable();
    expect(form.valid).toBeTruthy();
    expect(form.errors).toBeFalsy();
  });
  it('should validate if startOfSeason and endOfSeason are equal', async () => {
    fixture.componentInstance.beginDate = new Date('2020-12-02');
    fixture.componentInstance.startOfSeason = 2;
    fixture.componentInstance.endOfSeason = 2;
    fixture.detectChanges();
    await fixture.whenStable();
    expect(fixture.componentInstance.form.invalid).toBeTruthy();
  });
});

Answer №1

When it comes to testing Angular directives, the official documentation recommends using a component to properly test them. Here are some answers to common questions:

  1. You can test your directive by simply creating an instance without any DI dependencies.

const dir = new EndOfSeasonValidationDirective();
... make some changes with inputs
expect(dir.validate()).toEqual({isInvalid: true})

However, a more realistic approach is to test the directive in conjunction with a component. By creating a TestComponent, you can simulate a real environment and ensure all internal Angular mechanisms are functioning correctly during unit testing.

  1. TestBed is a useful tool for handling angular DI dependencies and setting up a testing module.
  2. Your current test is good, but you could enhance it by covering all possible scenarios up to 100%. Make sure to test all cases and If statements.

Updated Test Cases: It's important to cover the following cases:

  1. The validation should not pass if endOfSeason is not provided.

  2. The validation should not pass if startOfSeason is not provided.

  3. The validation should not pass if beginDate is not provided.

  4. The validation should pass if startOfSeason and endOfSeason are equal.

  5. The validation should pass if the expression (endOfSeason + (endOfSeason < this.startOfSeason ? 12 : 0) - this.startOfSeason === 11) holds true.

By including these test cases, you will achieve 100% coverage for the directive, ensuring all scenarios are thoroughly tested. You can run the tests, for example, in Webstorm or Intellij IDEA by clicking on the Run with Coverage button.

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