How do I use fixtures in Yii for testing?

Fixture is a mechanism used to preload data in Yii tests. 1. Create the fixture class to inherit ActiveFixture and specify the model; 2. Set the dependency order through $depends; 3. Define the data file in the data/ directory; 4. Declare the use through the fixtures() method in the test class; 5. Yii automatically loads and cleans up the data after the test. For example, UserFixture will load user data in the tests/fixtures/data/user.php file. During testing, you can obtain the data of alice through $this->users['user1'] for assertion verification. Yii provides a variety of fixture types such as ActiveFixture and DbFixture to control data loading and cleaning behavior, ensuring that the test environment is independent and reliable.

In the Yii framework, using fixtures is a standard way to prepare data when writing tests. They can help you quickly build predictable data environments, making testing more reliable and easier to maintain.

What are fixtures?

Fixture is a set of predefined data that is loaded into the database before the test runs and cleaned up after the test is finished. Yii provides a dedicated mechanism to manage this data, which makes it easy for you to use in unit tests or functional tests.

How to create a fixture class

To use fixture, you first need to create a corresponding fixture class, usually placed in the tests/fixtures directory.

For example, if you have a User model, you can create a UserFixture class:

 // tests/fixtures/UserFixture.php
namespace tests\fixtures;

use yii\test\ActiveFixture;

class UserFixture extends ActiveFixture
{
    public $modelClass = 'app\models\User';
}

In this way, Yii knows that this fixture is used to prepare data for the User model.

If you have foreign key dependencies, such as the relationship between the user and the article, you can inherit yii\test\Fixture or use multiple fixtures and set the dependency order through $depends property:

 public $depends = [UserFixture::class];

Prepare data files

Each fixture class will look for the corresponding data file from data/ subdirectory by default. For example, UserFixture above will load tests/fixtures/data/user.php file.

The data file returns an array, each item represents a record:

 // tests/fixtures/data/user.php
Return [
    'user1' => [
        'username' => 'alice',
        'email' => 'alice@example.com',
        'created_at' => time(),
    ],
    'user2' => [
        'username' => 'bob',
        'email' => 'bob@example.com',
        'created_at' => time(),
    ],
];

This data is automatically inserted into the database before the test begins.

Using fixture in tests

In your test class, override fixtures() method to declare the fixtures you want to use:

 public function fixtures()
{
    Return [
        'users' => UserFixture::class,
    ];
}

Then you can get the data through $this->tester->grabFixture('users') or directly access $this->users (if Codeception is used).

For example, if you want to test whether a user's email address is correct:

 $user = $this->users['user1'];
$this->assertEquals('alice@example.com', $user->email);

Time to load and clean fixture

Yii will automatically load fixture data before executing the test method, roll back or delete the data after the test is completed (the specific behavior depends on the type of fixture you are using).

• Use ActiveFixture : The data will be inserted into the real table and the truncate will be tested.
• Use DbFixture : You can control whether to truncate or not.
• Use BaseActiveFixture : Applicable to models that are not ActiveRecord.

If you find that the test is slowing, consider using init() method to manually initialize the data instead of loading it all at once.

Basically that's it. By mastering these steps, you can use fixtures in Yii for testing. The key is to have clear structure and controllable data, just don't let the tests interfere with each other.

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