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What is a stub in Node.js ?

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A small program routine that substitutes for a longer program which is possible to be loaded later or that is remotely located.

Features of stub:

  • Stubs can be either anonymous.
  • Stubs can be wrapped into existing functions. When we wrap a stub into the existing function the original function is not called.
  • Stubs are functions or programs that affect the behavior of components or modules.
  • Stubs are dummy objects for testing.
  • Stubs implement a pre-programmed response.

Example:




var fs = require('fs')
var writeFileStub = sinon.stub(fs, 
    'writeFile', function (path, data, cb) {  
        return cb(null)
})
  
expect(writeFileStub).to.be.called  
writeFileStub.restore()  


When to use stubs?

  1. Prevent a specific method from being called directly.
  2. Controlling method behavior down a specific path from a test to force the code. For example: Error handling.
  3. Replacing the problematic pieces of code.
  4. Testing asynchronous code easy.

Example To Create Asynchronous Stub That Throws An Exception:




require("@fatso83/mini-mocha").install();
  
const sinon = require("sinon");
const PubSub = require("pubsub-js");
const referee = require("@sinonjs/referee");
const assert = referee.assert;
  
describe("PubSub", function() {
   it("Calling all the subscribers, 
     irrespective of exceptions.", function() {
       const message = "an example message";
       const stub = sinon.stub().throws();
       const spy1 = sinon.spy();
       const spy2 = sinon.spy();
       const clock = sinon.useFakeTimers();
  
       PubSub.subscribe(message, stub);
       PubSub.subscribe(message, spy1);
       PubSub.subscribe(message, spy2);
  
       assert.exception(()=>{
           PubSub.publishSync(message, "some data");      
           clock.tick(1);
       });
  
       assert.exception(stub);
       assert(spy1.called);
       assert(spy2.called);
       assert(stub.calledBefore(spy1));
  
       clock.restore();
   });
});


Output:

Calling all the subscribers, irrespective of exceptions.

Example Of Stubs: Let us consider an example of an e-commerce website for purchasing items. If we are successful a mail will be sent to the customer.




const purchaseItems(cartItems, user)=>{
   let payStatus = user.paymentMethod(cartItems)
   if (payStatus === "successful") {
     user.SuccessMail()
   } else {
     user.redirect("error_page_of_payment")
   }
 }
}
  
function() {
  
  // Mail will be send for successful payment.
  let paymentStub = sinon.stub().returns("successful")
  let mailStub = sinon.stub(
  let user = {
    paymentMethod: paymentStub,
    SuccessMail: mailStub
  }
  
  purchaseItems([], user)
   
  assert(mailStub.called)
}


Example 1: A Simple Example To Execute Stubs.




<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  
<head>
    <title>Page Title</title>
</head>
  
<body>
    <div id="mocha"></div>
</body>
  
</html>





<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  
<head>
    <script>
        mocha.setup('bdd');
  
        function saveUser(user, callback) {
            $.post('/users', {
                first: user.firstname,
                last: user.lastname
            }, callback);
        }
  
        describe('saveUser', function () {
            it('should call callback after saving',
            function () {
  
                // We'll stub $.post so a 
                // request is not sent
                var post = sinon.stub($, 'post');
                post.yields();
  
                // We can use a spy as the callback 
                // so it's easy to verify
                var callback = sinon.spy();
  
                saveUser({ firstname: 'Han', 
                    lastname: 'Solo' }, callback);
  
                post.restore();
                sinon.assert.calledOnce(callback);
            });
        });
  
        mocha.run();
    </script>
</head>
  
</html>


Output:

Example 2:




<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  
<head>
    <title>Page Title</title>
</head>
  
<body>
    <h1>GeeksForGeeks</h1>
    <div id="mocha"></div>
</body>
  
</html>





<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  
<head>
    <script>
        mocha.setup('bdd');
  
        function saveUser(user, callback) {
            $.post('/users', {
                first: user.firstname,
                last: user.lastname
            }, callback);
        }
  
        describe('saveUser', function () {
            it(
'It will send the correct parameters to the expected URL',
            function () {
  
                // We'll stub $.post same as before
                var post = sinon.stub($, 'post');
  
                // We'll set up some variables to 
                // contain the expected results
                var expectedUrl = '/users';
                var expectedParams = {
                    first: 'Expected first name',
                    last: 'Expected last name'
                };
  
                // We can also set up the user we'll
                // save based on the expected data
                var user = {
                    firstname: expectedParams.first,
                    lastname: expectedParams.last
                }
  
                saveUser(user, function () { });
                post.restore();
  
                sinon.assert.calledWith(post, 
                    expectedUrl, expectedParams);
            });
        });
  
        mocha.run();
    </script>
</head>
  
</html>


Output:



Last Updated : 19 Aug, 2020
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