oliverdavies.uk/content/node.323bc6bc-069b-497b-9f64-d64c21bdba79.yml

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revision_timestamp:
  - value: '2025-05-11T09:00:20+00:00'
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title:
  - value: 'Keep logic within tests for as long as you can'
created:
  - value: '2024-02-16T00:00:00+00:00'
changed:
  - value: '2025-05-11T09:00:20+00:00'
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path:
  - alias: /daily/2024/02/16/keep-logic-within-tests-for-as-long-as-you-can
    langcode: en
body:
  - value: |
      <p>Inspired by some recent podcast guests, I've started writing the first code for a Drupal-based SaaS product that I've been thinking of creating.</p>

      <p>Here's an early iteration of the first test I wrote:</p>

      <pre><code class="language-php">public function test_it_creates_a_project_node_from_json(): void {
        self::assertNull(Node::load(id: 1));

        $this-&gt;installEntitySchema(entity_type_id: 'node');
        $this-&gt;installConfig(modules: self::$modules);

        $projectData = json_decode(json: self::$projectJson, associative: TRUE);
        self::assertNotNull($projectData);

        Node::create([
          'title' =&gt; $projectData['list'][0]['title'],
          'type' =&gt; 'drupal_project',
        ])-&gt;save();

        $node = Node::load(id: 1);

        self::assertNotNull($node);
        self::assertInstanceOf(actual: $node, expected: NodeInterface::class);
        self::assertSame(actual: $node-&gt;label(), expected: 'Override Node Options');

        self::assertSame(
          actual: $node-&gt;get('field_drupalorg_node_id')-&gt;getString(),
          expected: strval(107871),
        );
      }
      </code></pre>

      <p>It checks that, given some defined JSON data, it will create a node in my database.</p>

      <p>It confirms no node ID exists when starting, runs some setup setups (this is a Kernel test), decodes the JSON, creates the node and asserts it contains the expected values.</p>

      <p>There are two things that you may be wondering...</p>

      <ul>
      <li>Why do you have test setup code that you'll need within the test? Won't you need that for every test?</li>
      <li>Why are you creating the node within the test and not somewhere else?</li>
      </ul>

      <p>The answer to both is that this is the first test, and I want to write <strong>as little code as possible for it to pass</strong>.</p>

      <p>When I write the second test, I'll either need to duplicate the setup lines or extract them to a <code>setUp()</code> method.</p>

      <p>I'll also need to refactor the code that creates the node.</p>

      <p>Once I've written the second test, to get it to pass, I refactored to use Repository, Builder and Action classes.</p>

      <p>If there's a regression, the test I had will fail, and I could revert to the passing version before reattempting the refactor.</p>

      <p>With test-driven development, I want to work in small and simple steps and get to green by making the smallest and easiest possible change.</p>

      <p>When I have a test that forces me to refactor and adopt a more complex approach, I'll do it.</p>

              
    format: full_html
    processed: |
      <p>Inspired by some recent podcast guests, I've started writing the first code for a Drupal-based SaaS product that I've been thinking of creating.</p>

      <p>Here's an early iteration of the first test I wrote:</p>

      <pre><code class="language-php">public function test_it_creates_a_project_node_from_json(): void {
        self::assertNull(Node::load(id: 1));

        $this-&gt;installEntitySchema(entity_type_id: 'node');
        $this-&gt;installConfig(modules: self::$modules);

        $projectData = json_decode(json: self::$projectJson, associative: TRUE);
        self::assertNotNull($projectData);

        Node::create([
          'title' =&gt; $projectData['list'][0]['title'],
          'type' =&gt; 'drupal_project',
        ])-&gt;save();

        $node = Node::load(id: 1);

        self::assertNotNull($node);
        self::assertInstanceOf(actual: $node, expected: NodeInterface::class);
        self::assertSame(actual: $node-&gt;label(), expected: 'Override Node Options');

        self::assertSame(
          actual: $node-&gt;get('field_drupalorg_node_id')-&gt;getString(),
          expected: strval(107871),
        );
      }
      </code></pre>

      <p>It checks that, given some defined JSON data, it will create a node in my database.</p>

      <p>It confirms no node ID exists when starting, runs some setup setups (this is a Kernel test), decodes the JSON, creates the node and asserts it contains the expected values.</p>

      <p>There are two things that you may be wondering...</p>

      <ul>
      <li>Why do you have test setup code that you'll need within the test? Won't you need that for every test?</li>
      <li>Why are you creating the node within the test and not somewhere else?</li>
      </ul>

      <p>The answer to both is that this is the first test, and I want to write <strong>as little code as possible for it to pass</strong>.</p>

      <p>When I write the second test, I'll either need to duplicate the setup lines or extract them to a <code>setUp()</code> method.</p>

      <p>I'll also need to refactor the code that creates the node.</p>

      <p>Once I've written the second test, to get it to pass, I refactored to use Repository, Builder and Action classes.</p>

      <p>If there's a regression, the test I had will fail, and I could revert to the passing version before reattempting the refactor.</p>

      <p>With test-driven development, I want to work in small and simple steps and get to green by making the smallest and easiest possible change.</p>

      <p>When I have a test that forces me to refactor and adopt a more complex approach, I'll do it.</p>

              
    summary: null
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