Frequently Asked Questions

This section covers questions that aren't answered in the Spock or Jenkins-Spock documentation.

What's the difference between explicitlyMockPipelineStep and explicitlyMockPipelineVariable?

Practically speaking, the difference is you can omit ".call" for explicitlyMockPipelineStep() when you use getPipelineMock()

In the example on the Writing Tests page, explicitlyMockPipelineStep() is used to mock error. In this case, 1 * getPipelineMock("error") can be used to see if the error pipeline step is run. If explicitlyMockPipelineVariable() had been used instead, 1 * getPipelineMock("error.call") could be used to check for the error pipeline step.

There may be some additional differences as well, so try to use what makes the most sense.

What if the exact parameters are unknown?

There are ways to match parameters to regex expressions, as well as test parameters individually

The standard format for interaction-based tests is:

<count> * getPipelineMock(<method>)(<parameter(s)>)

While you can put the exact parameter value in the second parentheses, you can also run arbitrary groovy code inside curly brackets. If it's a "match" depends on if that code returns true or false. A good example is in PenetrationTestSpec.groovy. Use it to get the value of the parameter: 1 * getPipelineMock("sh")({it =~ / (zap-cli open-url) Kirk (.+)/}).

Is interaction-based testing required?

No, but you can't get variables the same way as traditional Spock tests

This is because the script gets run within the loadPipelineScriptForTest object. You can only access the limited set of variables stored in the binding. It makes more sense to see how variables are being used in pipeline steps, and make sure those pipeline steps use the correct value for those variables.

Similarly, if you need to control how a variable is set, you need to stub whatever method or pipeline step sets the initial value for that variable.

As an example, in PenetrationTestSpec.groovy, the target variable in penetration_test.groovy is tested by checking the parameters to an sh step.

What troubleshooting steps are required for 'can't run method foo() on null' errors?

You need to find a way to stub the method that sets the value for the object that calls foo()

Check out an example in GetImagesToBuildSpec.groovy.