I'm adding unit testing to existing code and encounter this problem:
public class Foo {
private static Foo SINGLETON;
private static Trouble TROUBLE;
private Foo() { }
public Foo newInstance() {
if (null == SINGLETON) SINGLETON = new Foo();
return SINGLETON;
}
public Trouble getTrouble() {
if (null == TROUBLE) TROUBLE = new Trouble();
return TROUBLE;
}
public void doSomething() {
getTrouble().doSomethingElse();
}
} Callers are expected to write Foo.newInstance().doSomething(). Fair enough. For unit testing, I want to replace SINGLETON with a stub or mock object that extends Foo in setUp() and put it back to null in tearDown(). Foo is not under test, but classes I am testing call to it and I need to control the interaction.
What about TROUBLE? It is a complex object with its own behavior, so I need to stub or mock it as well. But here's the rub: I don't have control over its source. It could be a SWIG-generated wrapper for JNI, or from a third-party jar I lack the sources to. And the class looks something like this:
public final class Trouble {
public void doSomethingElse() { }
} Oops! No extending for me. what to do? It is time to rely on delegation.
First, extract an interface from Trouble, say Troubling, which contains all the public methods in Trouble. We cannot change Trouble to implement Troubling, but I'll overcome that in a moment.
Second, update Foo and all callers of Foo.getTrouble to refer to Troubling and not Trouble. This decouples them from dependency on Trouble.
Third, create a new class which implements Troubling and delegates to Trouble:
public class NoTrouble implements Troubling {
private final Trouble trouble;
public NoTrouble(final Trouble trouble) {
this.trouble = trouble;
}
public void doSomethingElse() {
trouble.doSomethingElse();
}
} Lastly, update Foo to use NoTrouble instead of Trouble:
public class Foo {
private static Foo SINGLETON;
private static Troubling TROUBLE;
private Foo() { }
public Foo newInstance() {
if (null == SINGLETON) SINGLETON = new Foo();
return SINGLETON;
}
public Troubling getTrouble() {
if (null == TROUBLE) TROUBLE = new NoTrouble(new Trouble());
return TROUBLE;
}
public void doSomething() {
getTrouble().doSomethingElse();
}
} We're following the ancient dictum, any problem can be solved by introducing an extra level of indirection. Foo was already delegating doSomething() to Trouble; we just replaced that relationship with an extra level of delegation, Foo to NoTrouble to Trouble. Now I can mock or stub NoTrouble without needing access to Trouble.
Go have a peanut butter sandwich.
