This topic explains how to configure Unit Test Assistant.

In this section:

Configuring General Options

To configure the general UTA options, choose Parasoft> Preferences> Unit Test Assistant.

Tests location

This option allows you to specify where tests created with UTA are saved. You can select a pattern from the drop-down menu or manually customize the pattern with the following predefined variables:

${class_name} - The name of the tested class.
${package_name} - The name of the package that includes the tested class.
${source_folder} - The name of the folder that contains the source files of the project.
${project_name} - The name of the project that includes the tested class.
${test_kind} - The name of the test type, which will be added to the file name. This variable can take the following values:
          - Spring - Separates Spring tests from other tests in JUnit 4 and 5.
          - Parameterized - Separates parameterized tests from regular tests in JUnit 4. In JUnit 5, regular and parameterized test cases are added to the same file.

Testing framework for new tests

This option allows you to specify the testing framework UTA will use to create new tests. You can choose JUnit 4 or JUnit 5.

Test creation options

Create tests for private methods

This option allows you to enable creating unit tests for private methods. When enabled:

  • the Unit Test Assistant view displays action links that allow you to create unit tests for private methods when a private method is selected in the editor (see Creating Tests for Private Methods).
  • if you are creating tests with the the Create test suite option for a single class, the private methods are available to be selected in the dialog (see Creating a Test Suite for One File).
  • if you are creating tests with the the Create test suite option for multiple classes, tests are automatically created for the private methods (see Creating a Test Suite for Multiple Files).

Configure tests with timeout (in ms)

This option allows you to specify the time limit (in milliseconds) for executing a test suite created with the Create test suite option. If the time limit is exceeded, the test execution will stop, the test suite will fail, and the information about the error will be displayed as a Recommendation in the UTA interface. See Creating Test Suites.

Generate sample assertions

With this option enabled, UTA automatically generates assertion templates as comments in code when a basic test case is created. See Creating a Basic Unit Test for details.

This option does not apply when test suites are created with the Create test suite option.

Factory methods options

Automatically discover tagged factory methods

With this option enabled, UTA:

  • scans all projects for factory methods on the IDE startup.
  • searches for updates to factory methods when your project is modified (for example, when you create or delete a Java file or project).

See Configuring Factory Methods for details. 

Parameterized tests

Enable creation actions

With this option enabled, UTA displays action links that allow you to create parameterized test cases. See Creating a Parameterized Unit Test.

Parameterized tests depend on the testing framework you configured with the Testing framework for new tests option:

  • For JUnit 5, JUnit 5 Parameterized is automatically enabled.
  • For JUnit 4, you need to select the framework for creating parameterized test cases.

This option does not apply when test suites are created with the Create test suite option.

Advanced Settings

Advanced settings allow you to configure input data for creating parameterized test cases.

The maximum number of parameter sets created for one test case 

This option specifies the maximum number of rows with parameter variants that will be created for one test case.

Generate test data to

This option specifies where the test cases are saved. You can choose Code (default) or CSV from the drop-down menu.

About CSV

  • The CSV format is supported for JUnitParams and JUnit 5 Parameterized test types.
  • CSV supports UTF-8 character encoding.
  • The CSV files are saved in the same folder as your Java files. If the location does not match the resource folder specified by your build system, copy the CSV files to the appropriate location.

Parameterization values

This set of options allows you to customize the default list of values by selecting a data type from the Select type drop-down menu and adding, editing, or removing the values in the list. The Find field allows you to conveniently search for a particular value.

Character encoding

When you add new values, the characters must match the character encoding that will be used to save the files to ensure that the files are properly generated. 

Spring framework tests

Enable creation actions

With this option enabled, UTA displays action links that allow you to create Spring test cases. See Creating a Spring Unit Test.

This option does not apply when test suites are created with the Create test suite option.

Default ContextConfiguration attributes

This option allows you to specify the attributes to be included in the ContextConfiguration annotation when a Spring test is created. See Configuring Spring tests with the ContextConfiguration Annotation.

Configuring Execution Monitor Options

Configuring UTA execution monitor options allows you to specify the limits for collecting data during test execution. In addition, to prevent exceeding the limits, you can specify packages and classes you want to exclude from monitoring when executing tests with UTA.

To configure the mocking options for UTA options, choose Parasoft> Preferences> Unit Test Assistant> Execution Monitor.

Excluded packages and classes

This option allows you to specify a list of packages and classes to be excluded from monitoring. Click New and provide a qualified name of a package or class (wildcards are not supported).

Execution flow data collection limits

This set of options allows you to specify the limits for collecting data during execution:

  • Maximum method call depth - Specifies the maximum depth of method calls during analysis.
  • Maximum number of method calls made from a single method - Specifies the maximum number of sub-method calls from a single method.
  • Maximum total number of method calls -  Specifies the maximum number of all method calls during analysis.

Configuring Mocking Options

To configure the mocking options for UTA options, choose Parasoft> Preferences> Unit Test Assistant> Mocking.

Enabled

This option enables or disables mocking objects during test creation and execution.

Use helper methods

This option enables or disables using helper methods. If enabled, generated tests classes will separate regular test methods from helper methods that prepare objects but do not make assertions. 

Framework

This option allows you to specify the mocking framework that you use. You can choose one of the following:

Mockito

UTA automatically detects the Mockito version you are using and creates unit tests following the detected version of the API. If Mockito is not detected, UTA creates tests using Mockito 2.

PowerMock with Mockito

This option only applies when you use JUnit 4 and a Java earlier than Java 16, because PowerMock currently does not support JUnit 5 or later versions of Java.

  • If you create your tests with JUnit 5, the Mockito framework will be used by default.
  • As a workaround, you can add the --illegal-access=permit VM argument to the launch configuration used to launch the tests to use PowerMockito with Java 16 or later.

For PowerMock, you can specify a list of static methods and constructors to be mocked. Click New to add a new method or pattern. Use qualified method names and wildcards (*) to match patterns. The patterns that end with .* or  <init> will be matched with constructors. For example, the following configuration will mock:

  • all constructors in all classes whose names end with "Service".
  • all static methods and constructors in all DAO classes in all sub-packages of "com.example".
  • all methods of the InternalUtil class.

If the specified pattern matches all methods of a class, UTA will use the mockStatic() method which mocks all static methods of a class. Otherwise, the spy() method will be used to mock individual methods that are specified. For details about the mockStatic() and spy() methods, see https://github.com/powermock/powermock/wiki/Mockito#usage. 
Only the static methods and constructors specified in the table will be mocked. UTA will automatically add mocks to test templates during test creation, or display recommendations that will help you add mocks after your tests are run (see Creating Mocks).

Configuring Recommendations

You can specify which type of recommendations UTA displays after test execution.

To configure UTA recommendations, choose Parasoft> Preferences> Unit Test Assistant> Recommendations.

You can enable or disable the following recommendation types:

  • Additional threads - detects side threads, which may impact the state of your test.
  • Assertions for inaccessible fields - detects inaccessible fields that have been modified during execution and generates assertion templates.
  • Files created - detects files that were created during the test run, but were not removed after execution.
  • Mockable invocations - detects calls to mock objects that can be modified to ensure proper test isolation.
  • No assertions - detects when no assertions have been made.
  • Static fields changed - detects when static fields have been modified during test execution.
  • Mockable static invocations (JUnit 4 only, requires PowerMock) - detects calls to the static methods that are configured to be mocked with PowerMock (see Configuring Mocking Options)
  • System properties changed - detects system properties that were modified during the test run, but not restored after execution.
  • Uncovered code - detects uncovered blocks of code.

See Executing Unit Tests with Unit Test Assistant for examples of recommendations displayed by UTA.

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