PhpStorm 2017.3 Help

Testing with PHPSpec

With PhpStorm, you can practice behaviour-driven development by running specifications using the PHPSpec toolset.

Before you start

Make sure the PHP interpreter is configured in PhpStorm on the PHP page, as described in Configuring Local PHP Interpreters and Configuring Remote PHP Interpreters.

How do I install PHPSpec using Composer in PhpStorm?

  1. On the context menu of composer.json, choose Composer | Manage Dependencies.
  2. In the Manage Composer Dependencies Dialog that opens, select the phpspec/phpspec package from the Available Packages list, possibly using the search field. The list shows all the available packages, the packages that are already installed are marked with a tick.

    Choose the relevant version from the Version to install list.

  3. If necessary, expand the Settings hidden area and specify the advanced installation options. In the Command line parameters text box, type the additional command line parameters. For example, to have the package added to the require-dev section instead of the default require section, type --dev. For more information about using the Composer command line options during installation, refer to the Composer official documentation.
  4. Click Install.

Learn more about PHPSpec installation from PHPSpec Official website.

How do I integrate PHPSpec with PhpStorm in a project?

Step 1: Choose how to use PHPSpec

Open the Settings / Preferences dialog by pressing Ctrl+Alt+S, or alternatively choose File | Settings on Windows and Linux or PhpStorm | Preferences on macOS. Expand the Languages and Frameworks node and select Test Frameworks under PHP.

On the Test Frameworks page that opens, click add.png in the central pane and choose the configuration type from the list:

ps_settings_php_test_frameworks.png

Step 2: Choose the PHP interpreter to use
To use PHPSpec with a remote PHP interpreter, choose one of the configurations from the dialog box that opens:

ps_settings_php_test_frameworks_phpspec_choose_php_interpreter.png

Step 3: Specify the PHPSpec library to use
In the Path to PHPSpec executable text box, specify the location of phpspec. PHPSpec does not necessarily have to be installed under the current project root. Click refresh next to the Path to PHPSpec directory or phar file text box. PhpStorm detects the version of PHPSpec and displays it below the text box.

Specify the PHPSpec configuration file to use
In the Test Runner area, appoint the configuration .yml file to use for launching and executing specifications.

By default, PHPSpec looks for a phpspec.yml or a phpspec.yml.dist configuration file in the project root folder. You can appoint a custom configuration file.

  • Clear the Default configuration file checkbox to have PHPSpec use the phpspec.yml or phpspec.yml.dist configuration file from the project root folder. If no such file is found, test execution fails, therefore it may be more reliable to specify the configuration file explicitly.
  • Select the Default configuration file checkbox to specify your own .yml configuration file. This file will be later used as default in all PHPSpec run/debug configurations.

    In the text box, specify the location of the configuration file to use. Type the path manually or click browseButton and choose the file in the dialog box that opens.

In local configurations, the Prefix ('spec_prefix'): read-only field shows the namespace prefix for specifications. PhpStorm detects spec_prefix from the configuration file specified in the Default Configuration File field. The default value is spec. See PHPSpec Configuration: PSR-4 and PHPSpec Configuration: Spec and Source Location for details.

How do I generate a PHPSpec test for a class?

Step 1: Open the Create New PHP Test dialog

Do any of the following:

  • On the main menu, choose File | New. Then, choose PHP Test | PHPSpec Spec from the pop-up menu.
  • In the Project tool window, press Alt+Insert or right-click the PHP class to be tested and choose New | PHP Test | PHPSpec Spec.
  • In the editor of the PHP class to be tested, position the caret inside the definition of the class. Then, choose Go To | Test on the context menu or press Ctrl+Shift+T and select Create New Test from the pop-up menu. This way, you can generate a test for a PHP class defined among several classes within a single PHP file.

The Create New PHP Test dialog opens:

ps create new php test phpsec dialog

Step 2: Configure test generation

In the Create New PHP Test dialog, specify the following:

  1. The test file template, that is, the template based on which PhpStorm will generate the test class. Make sure that PHPSpec is selected in the Test file template list.
  2. The fully qualified name of the class to be tested, this name will be used to propose the Test Class Name. To use completion, press Ctrl+Space.
  3. The name of the test class. PhpStorm automatically composes the name from the production class name as follows: <production class>Spec.php. The test class name is displayed in the Name text box of the Test Class area.
  4. The folder for the test class. By default, it is the folder where the production class is stored. To specify a different folder, click browseButton next to the Directory text box and choose the relevant folder.
  5. The production class methods to generate test method stubs for. In the Generate test methods for area, select the checkboxes next to the required production class methods. PhpStorm will automatically compose the test methods' names as test<production method>. You can customize the code templates used for generating test method stubs on the Code tab of the File and Code Templates settings page.
  6. When the test is ready, navigate back to the production class by choosing Navigate | Go to Test Subject. For details, see Navigating Between Test and Test Subject.

Step 3: Launch test generation
Check, accept, or update the predefined settings and click OK to initiate the test generation.

How do I run and debug PHPSpec tests?

For information about writing PHPSpec specifications, see the PHPSpec Documentation. To run or debug your tests, do one of the following:

Option 1: To run or debug PHPSpec tests
In the Project tool window, select the file or folder to run your tests from and choose Run <file_or_folder_name> or Debug <file_or_folder_name> on the context menu of the selection:

ps_test_frameworks_phpspec_launch_tests.png
PhpStorm generates a default run configuration and starts a run/debug test session with it.

Option 2: To save an automatically generated default configuration
After a test session is over, choose Save <default_test_configuration_name> on the context menu of the file or folder and choose Save <default_configuration_name> on the context menu.

Option 3: To run or debug tests through a previously saved run/debug configuration
Choose the required PHPSpec configuration from the list on the tool bar and click run or debug.

Option 4: To create a custom run/debug configuration

  1. In the Project view, select the file or folder with the tests to run and choose Create run configuration on the context menu. Alternatively, choose Run | Edit Configurations on the main menu, then click add and choose PHPSpec from the list.
  2. In the Run/Debug Configuration: PHPSpec dialog that opens, specify the the tests to run and customize the behavior of the current PHP interpreter by specifying the options and arguments to be passed to the PHP executable file.

How do I monitor test results?

PhpStorm shows the results of test execution in the Test Runner tab of the Run Tool Window. The tab is divided in 2 main areas. In the left-hand area you can drill down through all unit tests to see the succeeded and failed ones. In this area you can also filter tests and export results.
The right-hand area displays the raw PHPSpec output: Use the context menu in the left-hand area to run specific tests or navigate to the source code.

Last modified: 29 March 2018

See Also