How do I set a property on a mocked object using Mockito?

Question

I have a scenario where I have to set a property of a mocked object as follows:

SlingHttpRequest slingHttpRequest= mock(SlingHttpRequest);
slingHttpRequest.setAttribute("search", someObject);

When I try to print this attribute I get null. How do I set this property?

score 39 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 12 '13 at 03:23

39

You don't normally set properties on your mocked objects; instead, you do some specific thing when it's invoked.

when(slingHttpRequest.getAttribute("search")).thenReturn(someObject);

answered Nov 12 '13 at 03:23

Makoto

_+1 "Mocks are there to do, not to represent!". – Romeo Sierra Jun 05 '20 at 06:31

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 03 '17 at 15:55

I'm afraid you're misusing your mock SlingHttpRequest.

Mockito requires you to wire up your mock's properties before you use them in your test scenarios, i.e.:

Mockito.when(slingHttpRequest.getAttribute("search")).thenReturn(new Attribute());

You cannot call the setAttribute(final Attribute a) method during the test like so:

slingHttpRequest.setAttribute(someObject);

If you do this, when the test runs, getAttribute() will return null.

Incidently, if the code you are unit testing is going to call a setter on your mock in this way, do not use a mock. Use a stub.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 12 '13 at 03:31

0

Mock object is not where you store data, it's for you to teach the behavior when its methods are invoked.

answered Nov 12 '13 at 03:31

Dzung BUI

You do answer the question, but the link doesn't add much more than what could be found in a Google search. Consider editing it or adding examples. – Makoto Nov 12 '13 at 03:40
What I meant was that the examples for this topic can be found easily by a simple key word – Dzung BUI Nov 12 '13 at 03:56
2

Then it's honestly more of a comment than an answer, to be frank. – Makoto Nov 12 '13 at 03:58
@Makoto I disagree. OP is mocking a class that maybe shouldn't be mocked. It's not clear to me whether `SlingHttpRequest` is a class or an interface - I can't find it in the sling docs. But if it's a class, then it seems to be about storing data, not executing functionality; and that implies that there is nothing to be gained by mocking it. So the first sentence of this post is the correct answer - it's just somewhat let down by the google link, but still worth a +1. – Dawood ibn Kareem Nov 13 '13 at 05:24

score -1 · Answer 4 · answered May 19 '21 at 19:53

-1

I'm probable 7 years late for the party, but I still would like to contribute.

You CAN set class property using the Whitebox from powermock:

Whitebox.setInternalState(mockedClass, "internalField", "Value to be returned")

answered May 19 '21 at 19:53

Rodrigo Borba

4 Answers4