Unit Testing Guidelines

General Principles

1. Test Independence

• Each test must be independent and self-contained
• Tests must not rely on execution order
• Use local variables within test methods instead of shared instance variables when possible

2. Clear Test Names

Follow the pattern: methodNamescenarioexpectedBehavior

Examples: tableExistspositivetableIsPresent, deleteTimernegativetimerDescriptorIdIsNull

3. Test Organization

Structure every test with: Arrange → Act → Assert

Mockito Best Practices

1. Never Use Lenient Mode

❌ Never add @MockitoSettings(strictness = Strictness.LENIENT) — write precise tests instead.

2. Avoid Unnecessary Stubbing

Only stub (when()) what is actually used in the test. Use helper methods called only by tests that need them:

private void setupContextMocks() {
    when(context.getFolioModuleMetadata()).thenReturn(moduleMetadata);
    when(context.getTenantId()).thenReturn(TENANT_ID);
    when(moduleMetadata.getDBSchemaName(TENANT_ID)).thenReturn(SCHEMA_NAME);
}

3. Remove Redundant Verify Statements

Only verify interactions that are not mocked with when():

verify(connection).close();        // ✅ not mocked
verify(dataSource).getConnection(); // ❌ redundant — already mocked

4. Prefer Specific Object Stubs Over any() Matchers

Use specific objects when you control test data:

when(mapper.convert(input)).thenReturn(output);           // ✅
when(mapper.convert(any(InputType.class))).thenReturn(output); // ❌

Use any() only when: the service mutates the object unpredictably, multiple different objects may be passed, or when using argument captors.

5. Use Simple when().thenReturn() for Basic Returns

when(service.process(data)).thenReturn(true);       // ✅
doAnswer(inv -> true).when(service).process(data);  // ❌

Use thenAnswer() only for computed return values, conditional logic, or side effects.

6. Stub the Complete Service Flow

Stub every external call in the code path being tested:

when(repository.findByKey(key)).thenReturn(Optional.empty());
when(repository.save(entity)).thenReturn(entity);
when(repository.findById(id)).thenReturn(Optional.of(entity));

7. Use verifyNoMoreInteractions Carefully

Only include mocks that should be fully accounted for:

@AfterEach
void tearDown() {
    verifyNoMoreInteractions(dataSource, connection, databaseMetaData, resultSet);
}

Test Structure

1. Class Setup

@UnitTest
@ExtendWith(MockitoExtension.class)
class MyServiceTest {

    private static final String CONSTANT_VALUE = "test-value";

    @Mock
    private Dependency1 dependency1;

    @AfterEach
    void tearDown() {
        verifyNoMoreInteractions(dependency1);
    }
}

2. Individual Test

@Test
void methodName_scenario_expectedBehavior() throws Exception {
    // Arrange
    setupCommonMocks();
    var service = new MyService(dependency1);
    when(dependency1.doSomething()).thenReturn(expectedValue);

    // Act
    var result = service.methodUnderTest();

    // Assert
    assertThat(result).isEqualTo(expectedValue);
    verify(dependency1).close();
}

Verification Patterns

1. Successful Operations

@Test
void operation_positive_success() throws Exception {
    setupRequiredMocks();
    when(repository.find()).thenReturn(entity);

    var result = service.operation();

    assertThat(result).isNotNull();
    verify(connection).close();
}

2. Exception Scenarios

@Test
void operation_negative_throwsException() throws Exception {
    var expectedException = new SQLException("Connection failed");
    when(dataSource.getConnection()).thenThrow(expectedException);

    assertThatThrownBy(() -> service.operation())
        .isInstanceOf(DataRetrievalFailureException.class)
        .hasMessageContaining("Failed to perform operation")
        .hasCause(expectedException);
}

Common Patterns

1. Constants for Test Data

Define at class level for reuse across tests:

private static final String MODULE_ID = "mod-foo-1.0.0";
private static final String TENANT_ID = "test-tenant";

2. Helper Methods

Extract private static methods for object creation, assertions, finding objects, and mock setup when the same code appears in 2+ tests.

For advanced patterns (parameterized tests, deep copy stubbing, fluent API, exact matching, explicit lambda types), see [references/patterns.md](references/patterns.md).

For complete test class examples, see [references/examples.md](references/examples.md).

Checklist

• No @MockitoSettings(strictness = Strictness.LENIENT)
• No unnecessary stubbing — all when() statements are used
• Only verify methods that are NOT mocked
• Specific object stubs over any() when test data is controlled
• Simple when().thenReturn() for basic returns
• All repository/service interactions in the code path are stubbed
• Copy operations stubbed when service creates internal copies
• Test names follow methodNamescenarioexpectedBehavior
• Each test is independent
• Resources (connections, streams) verified to be closed
• Exception tests verify type, message, and cause
• Constants used for reusable test data
• Helper methods eliminate code duplication
• Clear Arrange-Act-Assert sections
• Fluent API used for test data creation
• Parameterized tests use Stream<Type> for single parameters
• Explicit type declarations for lambdas when var inference fails
• Exact matching tests include similar non-matching values
• All error paths from utility methods covered
• Unused imports removed