Cross Container Extension Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation

   composer require friends-of-behat/cross-container-extension --dev
   

2. Enable in behat.yml

   default:
       extensions:
           FriendsOfBehat\CrossContainerExtension: ~
   

3. Pair with Required Extensions Ensure you have either:

   • FriendsOfBehat/ContextServiceExtension (for context injection)
   • or FriendsOfBehat/ServiceContainerExtension (for service container access).

4. First Use Case Inject a service from a Laravel container into a Behat context:

   # behat.yml
   extensions:
       FriendsOfBehat\CrossContainerExtension:
           containers:
               laravel:
                   instance: '@service_container' # Laravel's DI container
                   services:
                       auth: '@auth'
                       user_repository: '@App\Repositories\UserRepository'
   

Implementation Patterns

Workflow: Cross-Container Service Injection

1. Define Containers Map external containers (e.g., Laravel’s service container) in behat.yml:

   extensions:
       FriendsOfBehat\CrossContainerExtension:
           containers:
               laravel:
                   instance: '@service_container' # Laravel's container
                   services:
                       auth: '@auth'
                       user_repository: '@App\Repositories\UserRepository'
   

2. Inject into Behat Contexts Use ContextServiceExtension to inject cross-container services:

   use FriendsOfBehat\ContextServiceExtension\Context\ServiceContext;
   use FriendsOfBehat\CrossContainerExtension\ServiceContainer\ContainerService;
   
   class UserContext extends ServiceContext
   {
       public function __construct(
           ContainerService $containerService,
           UserRepository $userRepository // Injected from Laravel
       ) {
           $this->userRepository = $userRepository;
       }
   }
   

3. Parameter Sharing Copy parameters from Laravel’s config to Behat:

   extensions:
       FriendsOfBehat\CrossContainerExtension:
           containers:
               laravel:
                   parameters:
                       app.name: '%app.name%' # Copies Laravel's 'app.name' config
   

Integration Tips

• Laravel-Specific: Use app() helper to access Laravel’s container:

  $containerService = $this->getService('laravel.container');
  $auth = $containerService->get('auth');
  

• Dependency Chaining: Inject cross-container services into other services:

  services:
      user_service:
          class: App\Services\UserService
          arguments:
              - '@laravel.user_repository' # Cross-container dependency
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Deprecation Warning

   • The package is archived (last release: 2018). Prefer SymfonyExtension v2 for modern Laravel/Behat setups.
   • Workaround: Use only for legacy projects or if migrating to SymfonyExtension v2 is infeasible.

2. Frozen Containers

   • If Laravel’s container is frozen (e.g., in production), parameters may not copy correctly.
   • Fix: Use escape_values: true in config:

     containers:
         laravel:
             escape_values: true
     

3. Circular Dependencies

   • Avoid injecting Behat services back into Laravel’s container (risk of infinite loops).
   • Tip: Use interfaces/abstracts to decouple dependencies.

Debugging

• Service Not Found? Verify the service ID matches Laravel’s container:

  php artisan container:list | grep auth
  

• Parameter Copy Fails Check if the parameter exists in Laravel’s config:

  $this->getService('laravel.container')->getParameter('app.name');
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Container Factories Override ContainerService to support non-Laravel containers (e.g., PHP-DI):

   class CustomContainerService extends ContainerService
   {
       public function get($id) { /* Custom logic */ }
   }
   

2. Dynamic Service Mapping Use a service locator pattern to resolve services at runtime:

   $service = $containerService->get('laravel')->get($dynamicId);
   

3. Testing Mock cross-container services in tests:

   $containerService->expects($this)->method('get')->with('auth')->willReturn($mockAuth);