Skip to main content

Globals

Jest

deviation

At the top of your test files, require JestGlobals from the Packages directory created by rotriever.

Then, explicitly import any of the following members:

local JestGlobals = require(Packages.Dev.JestGlobals)
local describe = JestGlobals.describe
local expect = JestGlobals.expect
local test = JestGlobals.test

Methods


Reference

afterAll(fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Runs a function after all the tests in this file have completed. If the function returns a promise or is a generator, Jest Roblox waits for that promise to resolve before continuing.

Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

This is often useful if you want to clean up some global setup state that is shared across tests.

For example:

local globalDatabase = makeGlobalDatabase()

local function cleanUpDatabase(db)
db:cleanUp()
end

afterAll(function()
cleanUpDatabase(globalDatabase)
end)

test('can find things', function()
return globalDatabase:find('thing', {}, function(results)
expect(#results).toBeGreaterThan(0)
end)
end)

test('can insert a thing', function()
return globalDatabase:insert('thing', makeThing(), function(response)
expect(response.success).toBeTruthy()
end)
end)

Here the afterAll ensures that cleanUpDatabase is called after all tests run.

If afterAll is inside a describe block, it runs at the end of the describe block.

If you want to run some cleanup after every test instead of after all tests, use afterEach instead.

afterEach(fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Runs a function after each one of the tests in this file completes. If the function returns a promise or is a generator, Jest Roblox waits for that promise to resolve before continuing.

Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

This is often useful if you want to clean up some temporary state that is created by each test.

For example:

local globalDatabase = makeGlobalDatabase()

local function cleanUpDatabase(db)
db:cleanUp()
end

afterEach(function()
cleanUpDatabase(globalDatabase)
end)

test('can find things', function()
return globalDatabase:find('thing', {}, function(results)
expect(#results).toBeGreaterThan(0)
end)
end)

test('can insert a thing', function()
return globalDatabase:insert('thing', makeThing(), function(response)
expect(response.success).toBeTruthy()
end)
end)

Here the afterEach ensures that cleanUpDatabase is called after each test runs.

If afterEach is inside a describe block, it only runs after the tests that are inside this describe block.

If you want to run some cleanup just once, after all of the tests run, use afterAll instead.

beforeAll(fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Runs a function before any of the tests in this file run. If the function returns a promise or is a generator, Jest Roblox waits for that promise to resolve before running tests.

Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

This is often useful if you want to set up some global state that will be used by many tests.

For example:

local globalDatabase = makeGlobalDatabase()

beforeAll(function()
-- Clears the database and adds some testing data.
-- Jest Roblox will wait for this promise to resolve before running tests.
return globalDatabase:clear()
:then(function()
return globalDatabase:insert({testData = 'foo'})
end)
end)

-- Since we only set up the database once in this example, it's important
-- that our tests don't modify it.
test('can find things', function()
return globalDatabase:find('thing', {}, function(results)
expect(#results).toBeGreaterThan(0)
end)
end)

Here the beforeAll ensures that the database is set up before tests run. If setup was synchronous, you could do this without beforeAll. The key is that Jest will wait for a promise to resolve, so you can have asynchronous setup as well.

If beforeAll is inside a describe block, it runs at the beginning of the describe block.

If you want to run something before every test instead of before any test runs, use beforeEach instead.

beforeEach(fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Runs a function before each of the tests in this file runs. If the function returns a promise or is a generator, Jest Roblox waits for that promise to resolve before running the test.

Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

This is often useful if you want to reset some global state that will be used by many tests.

For example:

local globalDatabase = makeGlobalDatabase()

beforeEach(function()
-- Clears the database and adds some testing data.
-- Jest Roblox will wait for this promise to resolve before running tests.
return globalDatabase:clear()
:then(function()
return globalDatabase:insert({testData = 'foo'})
end)
end)

test('can find things', function()
return globalDatabase:find('thing', {}, function(results)
expect(#results).toBeGreaterThan(0)
end)
end)

test('can insert a thing', function()
return globalDatabase:insert('thing', makeThing(), function(response)
expect(response.success).toBeTruthy()
end)
end)

Here the beforeEach ensures that the database is reset for each test.

If beforeEach is inside a describe block, it runs for each test in the describe block.

If you only need to run some setup code once, before any tests run, use beforeAll instead.

describe(name, fn)

Jest Aligned

describe(name, fn) creates a block that groups together several related tests. For example, if you have a myBeverage object that is supposed to be delicious but not sour, you could test it with:

local myBeverage = {
delicious = true,
sour = false
}

describe('my beverage', function()
test('is delicious', function()
expect(myBeverage.delicious).toBeTruthy()
end)

test('is not sour', function()
expect(myBeverage.sour).toBeFalsy()
end)
end)

This isn't required - you can write the test blocks directly at the top level. But this can be handy if you prefer your tests to be organized into groups.

You can also nest describe blocks if you have a hierarchy of tests:

describe('binaryStringToNumber', function()
describe('given an invalid binary string', function()
test('composed of non-numbers throws', function()
expect(function()
binaryStringToNumber('abc')
end).toThrow()
end)

test('with extra whitespace throws', function()
expect(function()
binaryStringToNumber(' 100')
end).toThrow()
end)
end)

describe('given a valid binary string', function()
test('returns the correct number', function()
expect(binaryStringToNumber('100')).toBe(4)
end
end)
end)

describe.each(table)(name, fn, timeout)

Jest API change

Use describe.each if you keep duplicating the same test suites with different data. describe.each allows you to write the test suite once and pass data in.

describe.each is available with two APIs:

1. describe.each(table)(name, fn, timeout)

  • table: array of arrays with the arguments that are passed into the fn for each row.
    • Note If you pass in a 1D array of primitives, internally it will be mapped to a table i.e. {1, 2, 3} -> {{1}, {2}, {3}}
  • name: string the title of the test suite.
  • fn: function the suite of tests to be ran, this is the function that will receive the parameters in each row as function arguments.
  • Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait for each row before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

Example:

describe.each({
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3},
})('.add($a, $b)', function(a, b, expected)
test('returns $expected', function()
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test('returned value not be greater than $expected', function()
expect(a + b).never.toBeGreaterThan(expected)
end)

test('returned value not be less than $expected', function()
expect(a + b).never.toBeLessThan(expected)
end)
end)
describe.each({
{a = 1, b = 1, expected = 2},
{a = 1, b = 2, expected = 3},
{a = 2, b = 1, expected = 3},
})('.add($a, $b)', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected

test('returns $expected', function()
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test('returned value not be greater than $expected', function()
expect(a + b).never.toBeGreaterThan(expected)
end)

test('returned value not be less than $expected', function()
expect(a + b).never.toBeLessThan(expected)
end)
end)

2. describe.each(...args)(name, fn, timeout)

API change
  • ...args
    • First argument is a string with headings separated by |, or a table with a single element containing that.
    • One or more arguments of arrays with the arguments that are passed into the fn.
  • name: String the title of the test suite
  • fn: Function the suite of tests to be ran, this is the function that will receive the test data object.
  • Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait for each row before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

Example:

describe.each('a | b | expected',
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3}
)('.add($a, $b)', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected

test('returns $expected', function()
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test('returned value not be greater than $expected', function()
expect(a + b).never.toBeGreaterThan(expected)
end)

test('returned value not be less than $expected', function()
expect(a + b).never.toBeLessThan(expected)
end)
end)

describe.only(name, fn)

Jest Aligned

Also under the alias: fdescribe(name, fn)

You can use describe.only if you want to run only one describe block:

describe.only('my beverage', function()
test('is delicious', function()
expect(myBeverage.delicious).toBeTruthy()
end)

test('is not sour', function()
expect(myBeverage.sour).toBeFalsy()
end)
end)

describe('my other beverage', function()
-- ... will be skipped
end)

describe.only.each(table)(name, fn)

Jest API change

Also under the aliases: fdescribe.each(table)(name, fn) and fdescribe.each`table`(name, fn)

Use describe.only.each if you want to only run specific tests suites of data driven tests.

describe.only.each is available with two APIs:

describe.only.each(table)(name, fn)

describe.only.each({
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3},
})('.add($a, $b)', function(a, b, expected)
test('will be ran', function()
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)
end)

test('will not be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

describe.only.each(...args)(name, fn)

API change
describe.only.each({'a | b | expected'},
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3}
)('returns $expected when $a is added $b', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected

test('will be ran', function()
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)
end)

test('will not be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

describe.skip(name, fn)

Jest Aligned

Also under the alias: xdescribe(name, fn)

You can use describe.skip if you do not want to run the tests of a particular describe block:

describe('my beverage', function()
test('is delicious', function()
expect(myBeverage.delicious).toBeTruthy()
end)

test('is not sour', function()
expect(myBeverage.sour).toBeFalsy()
end)
end)

describe.skip('my other beverage', function()
-- ... will be skipped
end)

Using describe.skip is often a cleaner alternative to temporarily commenting out a chunk of tests. Beware that the describe block will still run. If you have some setup that also should be skipped, do it in a beforeAll or beforeEach block.

describe.skip.each(table)(name, fn)

Jest API change

Also under the aliases: xdescribe.each(table)(name, fn) and xdescribe.each(...args)(name, fn)

Use describe.skip.each if you want to stop running a suite of data driven tests.

describe.skip.each is available with two APIs:

describe.skip.each(table)(name, fn)

describe.skip.each({
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3},
})('.add($a, $b)', function(a, b, expected)
test('will not be ran', function()
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)
end)

test('will be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

describe.skip.each(...args)(name, fn)

API change
describe.skip.each({'a | b | expected'},
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3}
)('returns $expected when $a is added $b', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected

test('will not be ran', function()
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)
end)

test('will be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

test(name, fn, timeout)

Jest API change

Also under the alias: it(name, fn, timeout)

All you need in a test file is the test method which runs a test. For example, let's say there's a function inchesOfRain() that should be zero. Your whole test could be:

test('did not rain', function()
expect(inchesOfRain()).toBe(0)
end)

The first argument is the test name; the second argument is a function that contains the expectations to test. The third argument (optional) is timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

note

If a promise is returned from test, Jest Roblox will wait for the promise to resolve before letting the test complete.

API change

Jest Roblox will also wait if you provide a second argument to the test function, usually called done. This could be handy when you want to test callbacks. See how to test async code here.

For example, let's say fetchBeverageList() returns a promise that is supposed to resolve to a list that has lemon in it. You can test this with:

test('has lemon in it', function()
return fetchBeverageList():then(function(list)
expect(list).toContain('lemon')
end)
end)

Even though the call to test will return right away, the test doesn't complete until the promise resolves as well.

test.each(table)(name, fn, timeout)

Jest API change

Also under the alias: it.each(table)(name, fn) and it.each(...args)(name, fn)

Use test.each if you keep duplicating the same test with different data. test.each allows you to write the test once and pass data in.

test.each is available with two APIs:

1. test.each(table)(name, fn, timeout)

  • table: array of arrays with the arguments that are passed into the fn for each row.
    • Note If you pass in a 1D array of primitives, internally it will be mapped to a table i.e. {1, 2, 3} -> {{1}, {2}, {3}}
  • name: string the title of the test suite.
  • fn: function the suite of tests to be ran, this is the function that will receive the parameters in each row as function arguments.
  • Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait for each row before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

Example:

test.each({
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3},
})('.add($a, $b)', function(a, b, expected)
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)
test.each({
{a = 1, b = 1, expected = 2},
{a = 1, b = 2, expected = 3},
{a = 2, b = 1, expected = 3},
})('.add($a, $b)', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

2. test.each(...args)(name, fn, timeout)

API change
  • ...args
    • First argument is a string with headings separated by |, or a table with a single element containing that.
    • One or more arguments of arrays with the arguments that are passed into the fn.
  • name: String the title of the test suite
  • fn: Function the suite of tests to be ran, this is the function that will receive the test data object.
  • Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait for each row before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

Example:

test.each('a | b | expected',
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3}
)('returns $expected when $a is added $b', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test.failing(name, fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Also under the alias: it.failing(name, fn, timeout)

:::

Use test.failing when you are writing a test and expecting it to fail. These tests will behave the other way normal tests do. If failing test will throw any errors then it will pass. If it does not throw it will fail.

tip

You can use this type of tests i.e. when writing code in a BDD way. In that case the tests will not show up as failing until they pass. Then you can just remove the failing modifier to make them pass.

It can also be a nice way to contribute failing tests to a project, even if you don't know how to fix the bug.

Example:

test.failing('it is not equal', function()
expect(5).toBe(6) -- this test will pass
end)

test.failing('it is equal', function()
expect(10).toBe(10) -- this test will fail
end)

test.only.failing(name, fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Also under the aliases: it.only.failing(name, fn, timeout)

:::

Use test.only.failing if you want to only run a specific failing test.

test.skip.failing(name, fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Also under the aliases: it.skip.failing(name, fn, timeout)

:::

Use test.skip.failing if you want to skip running a specific failing test.

test.only(name, fn, timeout)

Jest Aligned

Also under the aliases: it.only(name, fn, timeout), and fit(name, fn, timeout)

When you are debugging a large test file, you will often only want to run a subset of tests. You can use .only to specify which tests are the only ones you want to run in that test file.

Optionally, you can provide a timeout (in milliseconds) for specifying how long to wait before aborting. Note: The default timeout is 5 seconds.

For example, let's say you had these tests:

test.only('it is raining', function()
expect(inchesOfRain()).toBeGreaterThan(0)
end)

test('it is not snowing', function()
expect(inchesOfSnow()).toBe(0)
end)

Only the "it is raining" test will run in that test file, since it is run with test.only.

Usually you wouldn't check code using test.only into source control - you would use it for debugging, and remove it once you have fixed the broken tests.

test.only.each(table)(name, fn)

Jest API change

Also under the aliases: it.only.each(table)(name, fn), fit.each(table)(name, fn), it.only.each`table`(name, fn) and fit.each`table`(name, fn)

Use test.only.each if you want to only run specific tests with different test data.

test.only.each is available with two APIs:

test.only.each(table)(name, fn)

test.only.each({
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3},
})('will be ran', function(a, b, expected)
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test('will not be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

test.only.each(...args)(name, fn)

API change
test.only.each({'a | b | expected'},
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3}
)('will be ran', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test('will not be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

test.skip(name, fn)

Jest Aligned

Also under the aliases: it.skip(name, fn), xit(name, fn), and xtest(name, fn)

When you are maintaining a large codebase, you may sometimes find a test that is temporarily broken for some reason. If you want to skip running this test, but you don't want to delete this code, you can use test.skip to specify some tests to skip.

For example, let's say you had these tests:

test('it is raining', function()
expect(inchesOfRain()).toBeGreaterThan(0)
end)

test.skip('it is not snowing', function()
expect(inchesOfSnow()).toBe(0)
end)

Only the "it is raining" test will run, since the other test is run with test.skip.

You could comment the test out, but it's often a bit nicer to use test.skip because it will maintain indentation and syntax highlighting.

test.skip.each(table)(name, fn)

Jest API change

Also under the aliases: it.skip.each(table)(name, fn), xit.each(table)(name, fn), xtest.each(table)(name, fn), it.skip.each`table`(name, fn), xit.each(..args)(name, fn) `` and xtest.each(...args)(name, fn)`

Use test.skip.each if you want to stop running a collection of data driven tests.

test.skip.each is available with two APIs:

test.skip.each(table)(name, fn)

test.skip.each({
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3},
})('will not be ran', function(a, b, expected)
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test('will be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

test.skip.each(...args)(name, fn)

API change
test.skip.each({'a | b | expected'},
{1, 1, 2},
{1, 2, 3},
{2, 1, 3}
)('will not be ran', function(ref)
local a, b, expected = ref.a, ref.b, ref.expected
expect(a + b).toBe(expected)
end)

test('will be ran', function()
expect(1 / 0).toBe(math.huge)
end)

test.todo(name)

Jest Aligned

Also under the alias: it.todo(name)

Use test.todo when you are planning on writing tests. These tests will be highlighted in the summary output at the end so you know how many tests you still need todo.

tip

If you supply a test callback function then the test.todo will throw an error. If you have already implemented the test and it is broken and you do not want it to run, then use test.skip instead.

API

  • name: string the title of the test plan.

Example:

local function add(a, b)
return a + b
end

test.todo('add should be associative')