What advantages does utilizing Jasmine Spy Object provide in Angular Unit Testing?

I have a question regarding unit testing in Angular using Jasmin/Karma.

Currently, I am working with three services: EmployeeService, SalaryService, and TaxationService.

The EmployeeService depends on the SalaryService, which is injected into its constructor.

Similarly, the SalaryService depends on the Taxation service, which is also injected into its constructor.

In my employee.component.spec.ts file, the following code snippet can be found:

let employeeService: EmployeeService;
let salaryServiceSpy: jasmine.SpyObj<SalaryService>;

TestBed.configureTestingModule({
 providers: [EmployeeService],
 declarations: [ EmployeeComponent ]
})
.compileComponents();
  employeeService = TestBed.inject(EmployeeService);
  salaryServiceSpy = TestBed.inject(SalaryService) as jasmine.SpyObj<SalaryService>;
}));

it('should return Name and Salary', () => {
  expect(employeeService.getEmployeeNameAndSalary(1)).toBe("John Smith receives: $12345 and tax value of 15%");
});

While the code seems to be functioning correctly, I'm puzzled about the necessity of using Jasmine Spy. The code runs fine even without implementing the spy service?

 salaryServiceSpy = TestBed.inject(SalaryService) as jasmine.SpyObj<SalaryService>;

I came across this example for reference: https://angular.io/guide/testing-services.

If we consider the example below, why do we need to create the ValueServiceSpy? Doesn't TestBed.inject already handle the injection of all dependencies and the 'dependencies of the other dependencies'?

Answer №1

Allow me to elaborate, I faced similar queries myself a few years ago :

What is the significance of utilizing Jasmine Spy Object in Angular Unit Testing?

Response: The use of a spy grants you the ability to perform the following tasks in unit tests:

  1. You can verify whether a function has been invoked or not (by utilizing `expect(component.method).toHaveBeenCalled())

  2. You can also modify the actual implementation within service.ts and provide dummy data for different test scenarios.

You can refer to this article where Stubs were employed instead of what is typically recommended in the angular guide. Stubs were used because they can be reused in other other-component.spec.ts files that utilize the same service by injecting it through providers with useClass. Take your time to observe how .toHaveBeenCalled() was utilized [ to comprehend point 1 ] , as well as how .returnValue() was used to mimic the error behavior of a service.


Why create the ValueServiceSpy? Doesn't TestBed.inject already inject all dependencies along with their 'dependencies of the other dependencies'?

Response: Indeed, TestBed.inject does inject dependencies, but it injects the actual ValueService. In unit testing, the objective is to isolate the " service being tested " (in this case, the focus is on testing MasterService rather than ValueService) .

Thus, it is logical to mock the ValueService while conducting tests on the MasterService.


Does that clarify things for you?

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