| name | php-testing |
| description | Write unit and integration tests for PHP applications with PHPUnit and Pest. Use when writing PHPUnit unit tests or integration tests for PHP applications. |
| metadata | {"triggers":{"files":["tests/**/*.php","phpunit.xml"],"keywords":["phpunit","pest","mock","assert","tdd"]}} |
PHP Testing
Priority: P1 (HIGH)
Structure
See implementation examples for test directory layout.
Write Tests with PHPUnit and Pest
- Standards: Use
PHPUnit (9/10+) or Pest. Organize into Unit/, Integration/, and Feature/. Class names should extend TestCase.
- TDD Workflow: Follow Red-Green-Refactor. Write failing test first, implement minimal logic, then refactor.
See implementation examples for PHPUnit service test with mock.
Apply Assertions and Data Providers
- Fluent Assertions: Use
assertSame (===) over assertEquals to avoid type coercion. Also use assertCount() and assertMatchesRegularExpression().
- Data Providers: Use
#[DataProvider('statusProvider')] (PHPUnit 10+) or dataset (Pest).
See implementation examples for Pest expressive syntax with datasets.
Isolate Test Dependencies
- Mocking: Use
createMock() for dependencies. NOT mock simple Data Objects.
- Isolation: Ensure tests Independent and Repeatable. DB tests must use
Transactions or SQLite :memory:.
- Coverage: Aim for
80%+ line coverage. Use phpunit.xml to whitelist specific directories.
- Automation: Run tests on every PR using GitHub Actions or GitLab CI.
Anti-Patterns
- No testing private methods: Test through public interfaces only.
- No over-mocking internals: Mock only external boundaries.
- No real network/DB in unit tests: Use in-memory databases or mocks.
- No coverage-metric chasing: Prioritize meaningful assertions.
References
Canonical response anchors
When this skill applies, preserve the following domain terminology or equivalent concrete examples in the answer when relevant:
- Define a static method returning test cases as arrays,method
- independent
- type coercion
