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Write feature test for API

note

Let's continue to test our XKCD.com JSON API http client that we covered earlier. Please do as follows:

  • Create a file called xkcd-joke-test.chk on the same directory where your created xkcd-joke.chk early.

  • Open xkcd-joke-test.chk file, and add following spec.

    As you can see, it's possible to combine both http request and testcase spec on same file. See Testcase example for other asserts you can write.

    ---
    version: default:testcase:0.7.2
    request:
      url: https://xkcd.com/614/info.0.json
      method: GET

    spec:
      asserts:
        - { type: AssertEqual, actual: "{$_response.code}", expected: 200 }
        - { type: AssertIsInt, actual: "{$_response.body.num}" }
        - { type: AssertEqual, actual: "{$_response.body.year}", expected: 2009 }

    Here notice the verison string version: default:testcase:0.7.2, this is important for this specification to be a testcase specification.

  • Open a terminal. Hit enter after writing following command on terminal.

    chk testcase xkcd-joke-test.chk

    You'll get output like following. Data will vary depending on the day you are doing it.

    File: xkcd-joke-test.chk

    - Making request [Success]
    - Process data for assertion [Success]
    - Prepare exposable [Success]

    ---
    -> Running `AssertEqual` on `{$_response.code}` [Success]
    -> Running `AssertIsInt` on `{$_response.body.num}` [Success]
    -> Running `AssertEqual` on `{$_response.body.year}` [Success]

    You just tested a live API 🚀🌟.

    Let us go through the testcase spec. we wrote. If you call the API https://xkcd.com/614/info.0.json in any Firefox, the response will be shown like this:

    xkcd.com response

    Please notice that the response contains node num and year on it. Thus on the spec. in asserts we are doing three assertions.

    • If response we got, has code 200; otherwise whether the response was successful.
    • If response body contains a node num, and does it hold an integer value.
    • If response body contains a node year, and does it hold value 2009.

  • Now If you add --result or -r flag to the command then it should show you the result in formatted output.

    chk testcase xkcd-joke-test.chk --result

    You should be able to see following if no exception occurs.

    -> Running `AssertEqual` on `{$_response.code}` [Success]
    -> Running `AssertIsInt` on `{$_response.body.num}` [Success]
    -> Running `AssertEqual` on `{$_response.body.year}` [Success]

  • These above response are coming as formatted output. If you want to see all JSON just pass the --no-fomat or -nf option flag.

    chk testcase xkcd-joke-test.chk --result --no-format

    and response looks like this.

    [[{"name": "AssertEqual", "name_run": "AssertEqual_bf476fda9fa211ed8f6dca2350850d2e", "actual_original": "$_response.code", "is_success": true, "message": "", "assert_fn": ""}, {"name": "AssertIsInt", "name_run": "AssertIsInt_bf4783309fa211ed8f6dca2350850d2e", "actual_original": "$_response.body.num", "is_success": true, "message": "", "assert_fn": ""}, {"name": "AssertEqual", "name_run": "AssertEqual_bf4784709fa211ed8f6dca2350850d2e", "actual_original": "$_response.body.year", "is_success": true, "message": "", "assert_fn": ""}]]

This way you can write API feature test. More testcase examples here.

😉🎉🎊