# Testing with fixtures #2

**URL:** <https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/testing-with-fixtures-2/7874>\
**Category:** Need Help\
**Created:** [May 28, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/testing-with-fixtures-2/7874 "2020-05-28T03:23:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thornstrom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@thornstrom](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/thornstrom)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/testing-with-fixtures-2/7874/1 "2020-05-28T03:23:43Z")

</div>

I’ve been trying to make model tests with with fixtures, but I’m not able to load the records into the fixtures.

I’m using MySQL, I have a separate schema called “test\_booking” which has empty tables corresponding to the production db. I’ve baked a fixture and model file with: “cake bake fixture Status” and “cake bake test table Status” which yielded the files below.

```
<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Test\Fixture;

use Cake\TestSuite\Fixture\TestFixture;

/**
 * StatusFixture
 */
class StatusFixture extends TestFixture
{
    /**
     * Fields
     *
     * @var array
     */
    // phpcs:disable
    public $fields = [
        'id' => ['type' => 'integer', 'length' => null, 'unsigned' => false, 'null' => false, 'default' => null, 'comment' => '', 'autoIncrement' => true, 'precision' => null],
        'type' => ['type' => 'string', 'length' => 45, 'null' => false, 'default' => null, 'collate' => 'latin1_swedish_ci', 'comment' => '', 'precision' => null],
        'date' => ['type' => 'string', 'length' => 45, 'null' => false, 'default' => null, 'collate' => 'latin1_swedish_ci', 'comment' => '', 'precision' => null],
        'start_time' => ['type' => 'string', 'length' => 5, 'null' => false, 'default' => '', 'collate' => 'latin1_swedish_ci', 'comment' => '', 'precision' => null],
        'service_id' => ['type' => 'integer', 'length' => null, 'unsigned' => false, 'null' => false, 'default' => null, 'comment' => '', 'precision' => null, 'autoIncrement' => null],
        'date_created' => ['type' => 'timestamp', 'length' => null, 'precision' => null, 'null' => false, 'default' => 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP', 'comment' => ''],
        'date_modified' => ['type' => 'timestamp', 'length' => null, 'precision' => null, 'null' => false, 'default' => 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP', 'comment' => ''],
        'manned_by' => ['type' => 'integer', 'length' => null, 'unsigned' => false, 'null' => true, 'default' => null, 'comment' => '', 'precision' => null, 'autoIncrement' => null],
        'text' => ['type' => 'string', 'length' => 10000, 'null' => false, 'default' => '', 'collate' => 'latin1_swedish_ci', 'comment' => '', 'precision' => null],
        'active' => ['type' => 'boolean', 'length' => null, 'null' => false, 'default' => '1', 'comment' => '', 'precision' => null],
        '_constraints' => [
            'primary' => ['type' => 'primary', 'columns' => ['id'], 'length' => []],
        ],
        '_options' => [
            'engine' => 'InnoDB',
            'collation' => 'latin1_swedish_ci'
        ],
    ];
    // phpcs:enable
    /**
     * Init method
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function init(): void
    {
        $this->records = [
            [
                'id' => 1,
                'type' => 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet',
                'date' => 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet',
                'start_time' => 'Lor',
                'service_id' => 1,
                'date_created' => 1590634027,
                'date_modified' => 1590634027,
                'manned_by' => 1,
                'text' => 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet',
                'active' => 1,
            ],
        ];
        parent::init();
    }
}

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Test\TestCase\Model\Table;

use App\Model\Table\StatusTable;
use Cake\Datasource\ConnectionManager;
use Cake\ORM\TableRegistry;
use Cake\TestSuite\TestCase;

/**
 * App\Model\Table\StatusTable Test Case
 */
class StatusTableTest extends TestCase
{
    /**
     * Test subject
     *
     * @var \App\Model\Table\StatusTable
     */
    protected $Status;

    /**
     * Fixtures
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $fixtures = [
        'app.Status',
    ];

    /**
     * setUp method
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function setUp(): void
    {
        parent::setUp();
        $config = TableRegistry::getTableLocator()->exists('Status') ? [] : ['className' => StatusTable::class];
        $this->Status = TableRegistry::getTableLocator()->get('Status', $config);
    }

    /**
     * tearDown method
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function tearDown(): void
    {
        unset($this->Status);

        parent::tearDown();
    }

    /**
     * Test getStatus method
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function testGetStatus(): void
    {
        $status = $this->Status->getStatus(1);
        print_r($status);
        exit;
        $this->markTestIncomplete('Not implemented yet.');
    }
}

```

But running the tests which executes the testGetStatus() returns en empty array, instead of the record specified in the fixture. What am I doing wrong?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dreamingmind](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.cakephp.org/dreamingmind/32/1857_2.png) [@dreamingmind](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/dreamingmind)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/testing-with-fixtures-2/7874/2 "2020-05-28T04:09:41Z")

</div>

And in your `app_local.php` config file you have something like this?

```auto
'Datasources' => [
    'default' => [
        'datasource' => 'Cake\Database\Driver\Mysql',
        'host' => 'mysql.host.com',
        'username' => 'username',
        'password' => 'secret',
        'database' => 'db_prod',
    ],
    'test' => [
        'datasource' => 'Cake\Database\Driver\Mysql',
        'host' => 'mysql.host.com',
        'username' => 'username',
        'password' => 'secret',
        'database' => 'db_test',
    ],
],

```

By default, the fixtures will look for and write to the ‘test’ configuration and will expect that configuration name.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thornstrom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@thornstrom](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/thornstrom)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 4:39am UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/testing-with-fixtures-2/7874/3 "2020-05-28T04:39:22Z")

</div>

Yes, it looks like below.  
The Status table in the stage database’s test\_booking-schema exists, and is empty.  
If I’ve understood it correctly, the schema and database is the same thing in MySQL.

```
'Datasources' => [
    'default' => [
        'datasource' => 'Cake\Database\Driver\Mysql',
        'host' => '<ip prod>',
        'username' => '<secret>',
        'password' => '<secret>',
        'database' => 'booking',
    ],
    'test' => [
        'datasource' => 'Cake\Database\Driver\Mysql',
        'host' => <ip stage>',
        'username' => '<secret>',
        'password' => '<secret>',
        'database' => 'test_booking',
    ],
],
```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dreamingmind](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.cakephp.org/dreamingmind/32/1857_2.png) [@dreamingmind](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/dreamingmind)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/testing-with-fixtures-2/7874/4 "2020-05-28T15:42:57Z")

</div>

Hmm… That’s all the obvious stuff I know about.

My own debugging strategy would be to try and locate the core code that uses the `protected $fixtures` property data and see what is supposed to happen. But not everyone subscribes to this grab-a-wrench style 🙂

In this case, I see vendor/cake/cakephp/src/TestSuite/Fixture/FixtureManager works with the property 4 times:

 ![Screen Shot 2020-05-28 at 8.34.54 AM](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/cakephp/original/2X/f/f5ddfb90d54c2af56b3d94f11e61126a7f411f79.png)

The third use, `load()` on line 279 would be a place to look. A few debugs to see what is happening would be my approach.

One detail regarding testing and your db though; the fixture data will not only write to the db, but the tables might also get dropped and recreated from the fixture schema. I’m not certain if this a something you can configure… But I do know that when my tests are finished running the tables that were used are actually gone from the db.

In other testing news that doesn’t solve your problem;

[This plugin](https://github.com/pakacuda/cakephp-fixture-factories/issues) was was demo’d at the recent Cake Meetup. It may not be a thing you want to add to the mix while you get this problem resolved but I recommend at least [viewing the demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7EQvHkIb60&t=107m54s). Fixture data can get messy and a bit hard to manage as things evolve and the Factory Fixture approach can bring some relief.