After using Automapper to map a ViewModel how and what should I test?

Question

I am attempting to test the Index action of a controller. The action uses AutoMapper to map a domain Customer object to a view model TestCustomerForm. While this works I am concerned about the best way to test the results that I am receiving from the Index action.

The controller's index action looks like this:

public ActionResult Index()
{
    TestCustomerForm cust = Mapper.Map<Customer,
        TestCustomerForm>(_repository.GetCustomerByLogin(CurrentUserLoginName));

    return View(cust);
}

And its TestMethod looks like this:

[TestMethod]
public void IndexShouldReturnCustomerWithMachines()
{
    // arrange
    var customer = SetupCustomerForRepository(); // gets a boiler plate customer
    var testController = CreateTestController();

    // act
    ViewResult result = testController.Index() as ViewResult;

    // assert
    Assert.AreEqual(customer.MachineList.Count(),
        (result.ViewData.Model as TestCustomerForm).MachineList.Count());
}

In the CreateTestController method I use Rhino.Mocks to mock a customer repository and set it up to return the customer from SetupCustomerForRepository. In this manner I know that the repository will return the intended customer when the Index action calls _repository.GetCustomerByLogin(CurrentUserLoginName). Therefore, I figure asserting an equal count is adequate to satisfy IndexShouldReturnCustomerWithMachines.

All of that said I am concerned as to what I should be testing.

1. It seems presumptuous to cast the result.ViewData.Model as TestCustomerForm. Is this really an issue? This concerns me because in this instance I am not truly doing test driven development and it seems like I am counting on a particular implementation to satisfy the test.
2. Are there more appropriate tests to ensure correct mapping?
3. Should I be testing each mapped property from the TestCustomerForm?
4. Are there more general controller action tests that I should be doing?

Salzman

Answer 1

This is one of the reasons why we move AutoMapper into a custom ActionResult or an ActionFilter. At some point, you only really want to test that you mapped Foo to FooDto, but not necessarily test the actual mapping. By moving AutoMapper into the layer boundaries (such as between controller an view), you can merely test what you're telling AutoMapper to do.

This is similar to testing a ViewResult. You don't test from a controller that a view was rendered, but rather that you told MVC to render such-and-such view. Our action result becomes:

public class AutoMapViewResult : ActionResult
{
    public Type SourceType { get; private set; }
    public Type DestinationType { get; private set; }
    public ViewResult View { get; private set; }

    public AutoMapViewResult(Type sourceType, Type destinationType, ViewResult view)
    {
        SourceType = sourceType;
        DestinationType = destinationType;
        View = view;
    }

    public override void ExecuteResult(ControllerContext context)
    {
        var model = Mapper.Map(View.ViewData.Model, SourceType, DestinationType);

        View.ViewData.Model = model;

        View.ExecuteResult(context);
    }
}

With a helper method on a base controller class:

protected AutoMapViewResult AutoMapView<TDestination>(ViewResult viewResult)
{
    return new AutoMapViewResult(viewResult.ViewData.Model.GetType(), typeof(TDestination), viewResult);
}

Which then makes the controller now only specify what to map to/from, instead of performing the actual mapping:

public ActionResult Index(int minSessions = 0)
{
    var list = from conf in _repository.Query()
                where conf.SessionCount >= minSessions
                select conf;

    return AutoMapView<EventListModel[]>(View(list));
}

At this point, I only need to test, "make sure that you're mapping this Foo object to this destination FooDto type", without needing to actually perform the mapping.

EDIT:

Here's an example of a test snippet:

var actionResult = controller.Index();

actionResult.ShouldBeInstanceOf<AutoMapViewResult>();

var autoMapViewResult = (AutoMapViewResult) actionResult;

autoMapViewResult.DestinationType.ShouldEqual(typeof(EventListModel[]));
autoMapViewResult.View.ViewData.Model.ShouldEqual(queryResult);
autoMapViewResult.View.ViewName.ShouldEqual(string.Empty);

Jez

Great answer which makes a lot of sense. For posterity would you mind adding your test statement? – Salzman

How would this work with the new WebApi, where my Get method is returning an IEnumerable<MyType> and not an action result? – Pythagorean

@sassyboy I tend to use an isolated service layer with web api, where you could create a similar abstraction of your own. – Thrifty

Answer 2

I would probably separate the coupling between AutoMapper and the controller by introducing an abstraction:

public interface IMapper<TSource, TDest>
{
    TDest Map(TSource source);
}

public CustomerToTestCustomerFormMapper: IMapper<Customer, TestCustomerForm>
{
    static CustomerToTestCustomerFormMapper()
    {
        // TODO: Configure the mapping rules here
    }

    public TestCustomerForm Map(Customer source)
    {
        return Mapper.Map<Customer, TestCustomerForm>(source);
    }
}

Next you pass this into the controller:

public HomeController: Controller
{
    private readonly IMapper<Customer, TestCustomerForm> _customerMapper;
    public HomeController(IMapper<Customer, TestCustomerForm> customerMapper)
    {
        _customerMapper = customerMapper;
    }

    public ActionResult Index()
    {
        TestCustomerForm cust = _customerMapper.Map(
            _repository.GetCustomerByLogin(CurrentUserLoginName)
        );
        return View(cust);
    }
}

And in your unit test you would use your favorite mocking framework to stub this mapper.

Erased

These tests are at the low end of value. If you mock AutoMapper what exactly are you testing, that Map is called? There is no flow logic etc.. its just lets get higher test coverage. When your controllers are that thin (complexity is moved to binders, filters, action invokers etc..) then just dont "Unit" test them (awaits flame) – Piled

@mattcodes, this controller action does three things that need to be tested: it uses a repository (mock it!), the result of this repository is mapped to another type (mock it!), the result of the mapping is returned to the view. Where this repository fetches the data and how the mapping is performed is of low value to the controller and should be tested separately. As an alternative of course you may say that this action doesn't need to be tested but the OPs question was exactly about unit testing so I decided to give my two cents :-) – Erased