Strategies for effectively mocking an Angular service: During Karma Jasmine testing, ensure that the spy on service.getShipPhotos is expected to be called once. In the test, it should

Currently, I am working on testing a function called getSingleShip in Angular 12 using Karma-Jasmine 4. The aim is to verify if this function is being called by another function named retrieveShip. However, the test results indicate that getSingleShip has not been called at all.

I have a suspicion that the actual service is being invoked instead of the mock service. How can I properly mock the service for testing purposes?

Tests similar to the one below fail due to dependencies on mockShipsService.getSingleShip (Expected spy ShipsService.getSingleShip to have been called once. It was called 0 times.).

Here is an example code snippet from spec.ts:

 // Code snippet for TestBed configuration and setup
// Test case for retrieveShip function

describe('retrieveShip', () => {
    it('should call getSingleShip once', () => {
        // Mock response for getSingleShip
        const getSingleShipResponse = {
            _id: "610a80fd485a6ad03b43b539",
            name: "Sabrina",
            type: "cruise"
        };
        mockShipsService.getSingleShip.and.returnValue(of(getSingleShipResponse));

        component.retrieveShip("610a80fd485a6ad03b43b539");

        expect(mockShipsService.getSingleShip).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
    })
})

The testing approach follows the guidelines provided in the Angular documentation available here: Testing services

For reference, here are snippets from the component.ts and service.ts files:

  // Component method to retrieve ship details
  retrieveShip(shipId: string): void {
    this.shipsService.getSingleShip(shipId).subscribe({
      next: response => {
        this.ship = response;
      },
      error: err => this.errorMessage = err
    });
  }
  // Service method definition to fetch single ship data
@Injectable({
  providedIn: 'root'
})
export class ShipsService {
  readonly ROOT_URL: string = environment.ROOT_URL;

  constructor(
    private http: HttpClient,
  ) {
  }

  getSingleShip(shipId: string): Observable<Ship> {
    return this.http.get<Ship>(`${this.ROOT_URL}/ships/${shipId}`);
  }
}

If you have any suggestions or tips on how to resolve the issue, your input would be highly appreciated!

Answer №1

I devised a solution by injecting the actual service and using callFake() method in my code.

My test file (spec.ts) looks like this:

beforeEach(async () => {
  await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
    imports: [
      HttpClientTestingModule,
    ],
    declarations: [
      DetailedShipComponent
    ],
  })
    .compileComponents();
});

beforeEach(() => {
  fixture = TestBed.createComponent(DetailedShipComponent);
  component = fixture.componentInstance;
  service = fixture.debugElement.injector.get(ShipsService);
});

describe('retrieveShip', () => {
 it('should invoke getSingleShip precisely once', waitForAsync(() => {
   spyOn(service, "getSingleShip").and.callFake(() => {
     return of(singleShipResponse);
   })

   component.retrieveShip("610a80fd485a6ad03b43b539");

   expect(service.getSingleShip).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
 }))
})

All tests are passing smoothly now!

The inspiration for this approach came from watching this helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9t58RKzJ-Y

Answer №2

Typically, in testing scenarios where we want to avoid real consequences, such as making actual HTTP calls, we use mocked services. A common approach is to create a mock of the service and then spy on that mock object or function to mimic its behavior. By providing expected return values, we can effectively simulate the service's responses. I would say you are about 95% correct in your understanding.

It is also important to handle asynchronous operations properly by using fakeAsync and tick() functions when dealing with async calls like observables or promises. Remember that returning an observable or promise may not trigger the call synchronously.

For example:

const spyShipServ: Partial<ShipsService> = { 
   public getSingleShip(shipId: string): Ship { return null; }

describe('retrieveShipComponent', () => {
  it('should call getSingleShip once', fakeAsync(() => {

    // Since we are not manipulating the return value, and.returnValue is not needed here
    spyOn(spyShipServ, 'getSingleShip'); 

    component.retrieveShip("610a80fd485a6ad03b43b539");
    tick();
    expect(spyShipServ.getSingleShip).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
  ))}
}

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Is the validity of the expression !args.value || args.value.length true?

After analyzing this segment of code, I noticed an interesting expression: !args.value || args.value.length For instance, consider the following scenario: let v = {}; console.log(!v.value); //outputs true console.log(v.value); //outputs undefined con ...

The feature similar to SignalR is currently experiencing technical difficulties and is not

In my application, I have implemented a like functionality for posts. To achieve real-time updates on the number of likes, I explored SignalR and attempted to integrate it into my code. Unfortunately, despite not encountering any errors, the automatic upda ...

Issue with TranslateModule Configuration malfunctioning

I have put together a file specifically for managing ngx-translate configuration: import { Http } from '@angular/http'; import { TranslateHttpLoader } from '@ngx-translate/http-loader'; import { TranslateLoader, TranslateModu ...

The @output decorator in Angular5 enables communication between child and

Hello fellow learners, I am currently diving into the world of Angular and recently stumbled upon the @output decorators in angular. Despite my best efforts to research the topic, I find myself struggling to fully grasp this concept. Here's a snippet ...

Angular 2 Return {responseBody: "assigned variable with [object Object]"}

In my Angular 2 application, I am encountering an issue where I am sending a variable from a service to a component. In the template, the variable appears as expected, however, when attempting to send this variable to a PHP script using POST, I receive [ ...

Dealing with router parameters of an indefinite number in Angular 5: A comprehensive guide

Is there a method to efficiently handle an unknown number of router parameters in a recursive manner? For instance: We are dealing with product categories that may have subcategories, which can have their own subcategories and so on. There are a few key ...

Using Typescript: A guide on including imported images in the output directory

typings/index.d.ts declare module "*.svg"; declare module "*.png"; declare module "*.jpg"; tsconfig.json { "compilerOptions": { "module": "commonjs", "target": "es5", "declaration": true, "outDir": "./dist" }, ...

Having trouble retrieving a specific key from the state object in Redux using TypeScript

I have incorporated TypeScript into my Ionic project, using React hooks. I recently added an errorReducer to handle any errors that may arise from the server. Below is a snippet of my code: Action import { ERROR_OCCURRED } from "./types"; ...

I encountered TS2300 error stating a duplicate identifier appeared once I transferred my code to Angular CLI

Currently undergoing the process of transitioning our code to Angular CLI for our hybrid app. The plan is to migrate the Angular part to CLI while the AngularJS portion continues to be handled by custom Webpack. It's worth noting that both parts (Angu ...

Issue encountered while incorporating a dynamic field in Angular 5

My goal is to dynamically add a row of fields when the add button is clicked. While this functionality works fine, I encounter an issue where clicking the add button clears the values in the first row and adds a new row instead. Below is the code snippet I ...

The optimal location to declare a constructor in Typescript

When it comes to adding properties in an Angular component, the placement of these properties in relation to the constructor function can be a topic of discussion. Is it best to declare them before or after the constructor? Which method is better - Method ...

Tips for resolving aliases in tsconfig.app.json when dealing with multiple source directories in WebStorm

When it comes to generating source files, I do things a bit differently and create some of them outside of the usual src directory. Here's how my structure looks: - project - generated - $ui-services some-other.service.ts - src - ...

TypeScript: implementing function overloading in an interface by extending another interface

I'm currently developing a Capacitor plugin and I'm in the process of defining possible event listeners for it. Previously, all the possible event listeners were included in one large interface within the same file: export interface Plugin { ...

ngif directive does not function properly when subscribe is utilized in ngOnInit

this is the unique component code import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core'; import { Subscription } from 'rxjs'; //import { Item } from '../item/item.model'; import { CartItem } from './cart-item.model'; imp ...

Creating a Modal using Typescript with NextJS

Currently, I'm working on creating a modal within my app using NextJS with Typescript. Unfortunately, I've been struggling to eliminate the warning associated with my modal selector. Can someone provide guidance on how to properly type this? cons ...

Exploring the MVVM architecture in React and the common warning about a missing dependency in the useEffect hook

I'm currently in the process of developing a React application using a View/ViewModel architecture. In this setup, the viewModel takes on the responsibility of fetching data and providing data along with getter functions to the View. export default f ...

How to call a function within a component from another component without encountering the "Cannot read property" error

Having trouble calling a function from one component in another by passing the reference of one to the other. I keep getting a "Cannot read property" error. Below is the code snippet Alert Component import { Component, OnInit, Output } from '@angula ...

Angular application's HTML Canvas unexpectedly changes to a black color when I begin drawing

Currently, I am developing an Angular application in which users can draw text fields on PDF pages. To achieve this functionality, I have integrated the ng2-pdf-viewer library and created a PDF page component that incorporates an HTML canvas element. Howe ...

Error: The data received from the Axios GET request cannot be assigned to the parameter type of SetState

Currently I am in the process of building my initial TypeScript application after transitioning from a JavaScript background. While I am still adjusting to the concept of declaring types, there is a specific issue I am encountering at the moment. The sni ...

Avoiding circular imports in Angular modules

After restructuring my angular app from a monolithic shared feature module to smaller ones, I faced a challenge with what appears to be a cyclic dependency. The issue arises when I have components such as triggerA, modalA, triggerB, and modalB interacting ...