Request Factories Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require worksome/request-factories
   

   No additional configuration is required—just use the RequestFactory facade or helper methods.

2. First Use Case: Replace verbose test assertions with a focused factory for a single request field.

   use Worksome\RequestFactories\Facades\RequestFactory;
   
   it('validates phone number format', function () {
       $request = RequestFactory::create('App\Http\Requests\StoreUserRequest')
           ->with('phone', '+375 154 767 1088');
   
       $response = $this->post('/users', $request->toArray());
       $response->assertValid();
   });
   

3. Where to Look First:

   • README for basic usage.
   • RequestFactory facade methods (create(), with(), toArray()).
   • Example tests in the package’s tests/ directory for advanced patterns.

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflow

1. Factory Creation:

   $request = RequestFactory::create(StoreUserRequest::class);
   

   • Pass the fully qualified FormRequest class name.
   • Supports dependency injection for custom factories.

2. Field Overrides:

   $request->with('email', 'test@example.com')
           ->with('accepts_terms_and_conditions', true);
   

   • Override only the fields you need to test.
   • Preserves default values for other fields (if any).

3. File Uploads:

   $request->withFile('profile_picture', UploadedFile::fake()->image('avatar.png'));
   

   • Use withFile() for UploadedFile instances.

4. Assertions:

   $request->assertValid(); // Validates the request
   $request->assertInvalid(); // Fails validation
   $request->assertSessionHasErrors(['field' => 'message']); // Custom error checks
   

Integration Tips

• Pest/PHPUnit Agnostic: Works seamlessly in both testing frameworks.

• Mocking Dependencies:

  $request = RequestFactory::create(StoreUserRequest::class)
      ->withMock(UserRepository::class, $mockUserRepo);
  

  • Useful for testing request logic that depends on external services.

• Dynamic Routes:

  $request = RequestFactory::create(UpdateUserRequest::class)
      ->withRouteParams(['user' => $user->id]);
  

  • Inject route parameters for dynamic routes.

• Reusable Factories:

  $factory = RequestFactory::create(StoreUserRequest::class)
      ->withDefaults(['company' => 'Worksome']);
  
  $factory->with('email', 'new@example.com');
  

  • Chain withDefaults() for common test setups.

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Missing Default Values:

   • If your FormRequest relies on merge() or mergeWith() in its constructor, these won’t carry over to the factory.
   • Fix: Manually set defaults in the factory or extend the RequestFactory class.

2. Route Binding Conflicts:

   • If your request expects route-bound models (e.g., UpdateUserRequest with user param), ensure withRouteParams() is used.
   • Fix:

     $request->withRouteParams(['user' => $user]);
     

3. Validation Rule Overrides:

   • The factory doesn’t override validation rules—only input data.
   • Fix: Use assertValid() or assertInvalid() to test rule-specific behavior.

4. File Upload Handling:

   • withFile() requires a UploadedFile instance. Using raw strings (e.g., 'path/to/file') won’t work.
   • Fix:

     use Illuminate\Http\UploadedFile;
     $request->withFile('avatar', UploadedFile::fake()->image('test.png'));
     

Debugging Tips

• Inspect Raw Input:

  dd($request->toArray());
  

  • Verify the factory’s output matches expectations.

• Validation Errors:

  • Use assertSessionHasErrors() to debug failed validations:

    $request->assertInvalid();
    $this->assertSessionHasErrors(['email' => 'required']);
    

• Custom Factories:

  • Extend Worksome\RequestFactories\RequestFactory to add domain-specific methods:

    class UserRequestFactory extends RequestFactory
    {
        public function withValidUserData(): static
        {
            return $this
                ->with('email', 'test@example.com')
                ->with('password', 'password');
        }
    }
    

Extension Points

1. Custom Factory Classes:

   • Register a custom factory in config/request-factories.php:

     'factories' => [
         App\Http\Requests\StoreUserRequest::class => App\Factories\UserRequestFactory::class,
     ],
     

   • Override default behavior (e.g., auto-populate common fields).

2. Middleware Simulation:

   • The package doesn’t natively support middleware, but you can manually add it:

     $request = RequestFactory::create(StoreUserRequest::class);
     $request->prepareForValidation($this->app->make('router')->getCurrentRoute()->gatherMiddleware());
     

3. Testing Authenticated Requests:

   • Use Laravel’s actingAs() helper alongside the factory:

     $this->actingAs($user)
          ->post('/users', RequestFactory::create(StoreUserRequest::class)->toArray());