How to use the command 'phpunit' (with examples)

PHPUnit is a command-line test runner used for testing PHP applications. It allows developers to easily write and run tests for their code, ensuring that it functions as expected. This article will provide examples of different use cases for the phpunit command.

Use case 1: Running tests in the current directory

Code:

phpunit

Motivation: Running tests in the current directory is useful when you have a project with a standard structure where the tests are located in a specific directory. By executing phpunit without any arguments, it will search for a phpunit.xml configuration file in the current directory and run all the tests defined in it.

Explanation:

• The phpunit command is used to start the test runner.
• When executed without arguments, it will search for a phpunit.xml file in the current directory and use it as the configuration for running the tests.

Example output:

PHPUnit 9.5.4 by Sebastian Bergmann and contributors.

.....................                                             21 / 21 (100%)

Time: 00:00.023, Memory: 6.00 MB

OK (21 tests, 21 assertions)

Use case 2: Running tests in a specific file

Code:

phpunit path/to/TestFile.php

Motivation: Running tests in a specific file is useful when you want to focus on testing a specific component or functionality. By providing the path to the test file as an argument to phpunit, it will only execute the tests within that file.

Explanation:

• The phpunit command is used to start the test runner.
• The path/to/TestFile.php argument specifies the path to the specific test file that you want to run.

Example output:

PHPUnit 9.5.4 by Sebastian Bergmann and contributors.

......                                                             6 / 6 (100%)

Time: 00:00.008, Memory: 6.00 MB

OK (6 tests, 6 assertions)

Use case 3: Running tests annotated with a given group

Code:

phpunit --group name

Motivation: Running tests annotated with a specific group is useful when you want to run a subset of tests that are related to a specific functionality or feature. By annotating tests with a group identifier, you can easily execute only those tests.

Explanation:

• The phpunit command is used to start the test runner.
• The --group option is used to specify the group identifier for the tests you want to run.
• Replace name with the actual group identifier you want to use.

Example output:

PHPUnit 9.5.4 by Sebastian Bergmann and contributors.

...........                                                        11 / 11 (100%)

Time: 00:00.012, Memory: 6.00 MB

OK (11 tests, 11 assertions)

Use case 4: Running tests and generating a coverage report in HTML

Code:

phpunit --coverage-html path/to/directory

Motivation: Generating a coverage report is useful to measure the effectiveness of your tests and identify areas of code that are not sufficiently covered. By using the --coverage-html option, PHPUnit will generate a HTML coverage report.

Explanation:

• The phpunit command is used to start the test runner.
• The --coverage-html option tells PHPUnit to generate a coverage report in HTML format.
• The path/to/directory argument specifies the directory where the coverage report will be generated.

Example output:

PHPUnit 9.5.4 by Sebastian Bergmann and contributors.

...................                                               21 / 21 (100%)

Time: 00:00.021, Memory: 6.00 MB

OK (21 tests, 21 assertions)

Generating code coverage report in HTML format ... done

Conclusion:

PHPUnit is a powerful command-line test runner that simplifies the process of testing PHP applications. By using the different options and arguments provided by the phpunit command, developers can effectively run tests, focus on specific files or groups, and generate coverage reports. Incorporating PHPUnit into your development workflow can greatly improve the quality and reliability of your PHP code.