ChefSpec and unit-testing recipes with artifact-cookbook callbacks.

[florentdupont]

Hi,

I have some limitations when testing my recipes with the artifact LWRP using ChefSpec...
In fact, i just test the parameters passed to the action. for example :

  expect(chef_run_i1_jar).to deploy_artifact("xx-client")
                                        .with(version: "1.14.1-SNAPSHOT", 
                                                artifact_location: "xxx:xx-client:jar",
                                                deploy_to: "D:/java/clt/xx-client")

But i'd also like to test all others LWRP that should be executed in the "callback functions" (i.e. before_extract, after_deploy, etc.). The thing is : the Procs designed by these functions are not run during ChefSpec executions (and most of the code I'd like to test is inside these functions..).

What options do I have ?

• Include the execution of LWRP by adding step_into: ["artifact_deploy"] to the ChefSpec::Runner constructor. Problem is that, there's no way to include a LWRP as a cookbook dependency (it's just not found and I get a RecipeNotFound : issue explained here : customink-webops/hostsfile#4)
• Find a way to include callback function in the "run_list" and compile them as regular recipes.

I don't like the first option anyway. A Unit Test should not execute LWRP but just "simulate" them.
I'd like to find a solution close to the second option..but not sure if it's technically possible.

What's your point of view ?
How do you unit-test your recipes with artifact-cookbook when they have most of their workflow in callback functions ?

Thanks.

[KAllan357]

@florentdupont nice writeup here. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have a satisfactory answer. In many cases, we aren't unit testing our recipes.

I think the idea makes sense though, and I can offer a few ideas. I think they might all extend outward from one grander idea - a rewrite of this LWRP to implement Chef::Provider::LWRPBase.

From there, you'd get...

• a better ability to unit test this actual LWRP
• the possibility of some adding testability to the procs.

[florentdupont]

Thank you for you answer. That'd be great but this might take a lot of work to refactor the existing LWRP to implement LWRPBase. For now, I think we are just going to unit-test by testing the parameters passed to the action.
To make some further tests, we'll use some integration tests (like Test-Kitchen).

[JonMR]

I'd also like to unit test my recipes. Has this changed since August?

[KAllan357]

@JonMR, I'm sorry to report it has not. I'd welcome a pull request to reach this functionality, though!