Testing Suite Overview

This document outlines the refreshed PHPUnit suite organization introduced in December 2025 and explains how to integrate it into everyday development.

🧱 Test Architecture

Layer	Location	Base class	Description
Core Unit	tests/TestCase/Core/Unit	BaseTestCase	Fast-running unit and table/service tests that operate purely on PHP objects or direct ORM calls.
Core Feature	tests/TestCase/Core/Feature	HttpIntegrationTestCase	HTTP-centric smoke tests that exercise controllers or routes without complex setup.
Plugins	tests/TestCase/Plugins	PluginIntegrationTestCase	Plugin-focused tests that access plugin tables or services while sharing the same seeded database.

Support helpers live in tests/TestCase/Support:

• SeedManager – centralizes loading ../dev_seed_clean.sql to the test connection.
• HttpIntegrationTestCase – thin HTTP feature base (extends BaseTestCase + IntegrationTestTrait).
• PluginIntegrationTestCase – auto-loads the plugin under test before running assertions.

🌱 Guaranteed Seed Data

All suites load /workspaces/KMP/dev_seed_clean.sql during tests/bootstrap.php. The new SeedManager ensures the SQL file is applied once per run and exposes a reset() helper for heavy data mutation scenarios.

When extending BaseTestCase, call $this->reseedDatabase() if your test needs a full reset after destructive operations.

🚀 Running Tests

Command	Purpose
vendor/bin/phpunit --testsuite core-unit	Run fast unit/service coverage.
vendor/bin/phpunit --testsuite core-feature	Execute HTTP smoke tests.
vendor/bin/phpunit --testsuite plugins	Run cross-plugin coverage (includes tests/TestCase/Plugins and plugin-owned suites).
vendor/bin/phpunit tests/TestCase/Core/Feature/Members/MembersLoginPageTest.php	Target a single file.
vendor/bin/phpunit --filter MembersTableSeedTest	Target a single class/method.

💡 Need the old “everything” run? Use vendor/bin/phpunit --testsuite all.

🧪 Starter Tests

• Core/Unit/Model/MembersTableSeedTest – verifies the super-user seed and duplicate email guardrails.
• Core/Feature/Members/MembersLoginPageTest – confirms anonymous access to /members/login remains healthy.
• Plugins/Awards/Feature/RecommendationsSeedTest – proves Awards plugin tables are reachable using the shared seed.

These examples demonstrate how to:

1. Depend on canonical seed accounts defined in /README.md.
2. Share HTTP helpers and plugin loaders.
3. Keep new tests isolated with automatic transactions from BaseTestCase.

📈 Extending the Suite

1. Pick a layer (unit vs feature vs plugin) and drop the file in the matching folder.
2. Extend the correct base (BaseTestCase, HttpIntegrationTestCase, or PluginIntegrationTestCase).
3. Leverage the seed using constants like BaseTestCase::ADMIN_MEMBER_ID or $this->reseedDatabase().
4. Name tests clearly – the suite naming convention enables --testsuite filtering.

🔄 Legacy Tests

Existing suites under tests/TestCase/Controller, Model, Services, etc., remain runnable and are included in core-unit, core-feature, or all. Migrate legacy coverage into the new layout over time for the cleanest experience.

Happy testing! 🧪