laravel-testing_skill

Overview

This skill provides practical Laravel testing patterns using PHPUnit and Dusk for Laravel 12+. It covers feature, unit, and browser tests plus factories, common assertions, and mocking approaches to keep tests reliable and maintainable. Always active for test-related contexts, CI runs, and TDD workflows.

How this skill works

The skill inspects test files and runtime signals to offer targeted guidance: it recognizes tests/Feature, tests/Unit, tests/Browser, php artisan test runs, and common failure triggers. It suggests assertions, factory usage, RefreshDatabase patterns, mocking examples, and Dusk troubleshooting (missing elements, screenshots). It also proposes command-line and coverage options for CI and local workflows.

When to use it

• Writing or updating tests (unit, feature, browser)
• Running php artisan test or CI test pipelines
• When a test fails or an assertion error appears
• When using factories, RefreshDatabase, actingAs, or mocks
• When Dusk element not found, screenshot, or browser test issues occur

Best practices

• Use RefreshDatabase trait for isolated DB state in feature tests
• Prefer factories and states for realistic fixtures instead of manual seed data
• Assert HTTP response codes and JSON structure to verify contract stability
• Mock external services (payment, mail) to make tests deterministic
• Use Dusk screenshots and waitFor* helpers for flaky browser tests

Example use cases

• Feature test: actingAs a user and asserting response codes, JSON structure, and database row
• Unit test: instantiate service classes and assert pure calculation outputs
• Factory usage: create related models with ->for() and ->has() to seed complex relationships
• Mocking: replace PaymentService in tests to verify charge logic without external calls
• Dusk: find element failures -> capture screenshot and use ->waitFor() or CSS selectors to stabilize tests