10 PHP Testing Instruments for WordPress Plugins

No software program is freed from bugs. That is an axiom that applies to each programming language and each software.

When these bugs are deployed inside your web site in manufacturing, you may undergo antagonistic penalties of various severity. These are some examples, starting from annoying to economically damaging:

• Delicate: A consumer being unable to click on at a damaged hyperlink.
• Severe: A contact type’s “Submit” button not working, which the consumer discovers solely after having composed their message.
• Extreme: A fee gateway not correctly configured, rendering customers unable to purchase merchandise in your ecommerce retailer, thereby abandoning the location.

No single device is sufficient to deal with all points of testing an software… however with a bit assist from this information, you may construct up a stack on your subsequent venture 💪Click on to Tweet
No single device is sufficient to deal with all points of testing an software from all totally different attainable angles. Certainly, along with discovering bugs, it’s important to execute extra checks to validate different capabilities of the appliance, resembling:

On this article, we’ll assessment 10 instruments created by the open supply neighborhood that may assist make up a stack for testing PHP code in WordPress plugins. A few of these instruments have been particularly designed for testing PHP code; others are meant for testing WordPress code; and some different instruments have been created to deal with some generic performance that’s helpful for testing.

1. DevKinsta

DevKinsta is an area improvement suite for WordPress websites. Simply by offering some fundamental particulars, an area occasion of a WordPress web site is put in instantly, and it comes bundled with a number of helpful improvement instruments like an e mail inbox, database supervisor, and logging for simpler troubleshooting.

DevKinsta is generally utilized by builders and designers when creating their WordPress themes and plugins. Nevertheless it may also be used as an area net server for executing integration and performance checks. That is achieved in tandem with an HTTP device that helps you confirm your response content material and headers are right.

DevKinsta’s high options are:

2. PHPUnit

PHPUnit is a programmer-oriented testing framework for PHP. It’s the preferred framework for executing unit checks in PHP code, with the target of validating particular person models of supply code.

PHPUnit checks permit builders to seek out issues as early as attainable throughout the improvement cycle, serving to to make sure that no code regressions have been launched (i.e. adjustments to some piece of code haven’t precipitated points elsewhere).

PHPUnit’s high options are:

• New characteristic testing
• Newly-refactored code validation
• May be absolutely automated and executed throughout the Steady Integration technique of selection
• Debugging
• Automated documentation on anticipated use by performance invocation and constraints
• Permits for the Check-Pushed Growth (TDD) method wherein builders first create first checks, then performance

3. Mind Monkey

Mind Monkey is a testing utility for PHP and WordPress. It supplies framework-agnostic instruments that let you redefine PHP strategies and check the conduct of any PHP software. It additionally supplies instruments particular to testing WordPress code.

Mind Monkey’s high options are:

• Permits unit checks to work together with exterior, unloaded libraries
• Permits invocation of WordPress capabilities with out the necessity to load the WordPress surroundings
• Can assert that WordPress capabilities (resembling add_filter or do_action) invoke performance as anticipated

4. Mind Faker

Mind Faker makes use of Faker (a preferred PHP library for producing pretend information) and Mind Monkey to supply straightforward era of faux WordPress objects and associated capabilities so that you can check out, together with:

• WP_Post situations, and mock associated capabilities like get_post and get_post_field
• WP_User situations, and mock associated capabilities like get_userdata, get_user_by, user_can, and extra
• WP_Term situations, and mock associated capabilities like get_term and get_term_by
• WP_Comment situations
• WP_Site situations, and mock associated capabilities like get_site
• WP_Post_Type situations, and mock associated capabilities like get_post_type_object and post_type_exists
• WP_Taxonomy situations, and mock associated capabilities like get_taxonomy and taxonomy_exists
• WP_Error situations

Mind Faker’s high options are:

• Injects pretend however practical WordPress information into the unit check — accessing a pretend submit’s modified date will behave as a date (e.g. 2022-04-17T13:06:58+00:00), a consumer’s title might be becoming (e.g. "John Smith"), a pretend submit occasion is authored by a pretend consumer occasion, and so forth
• Faux information will be pre-provided or randomly generated
• Extensible — builders can mock courses and capabilities from their very own WordPress plugins

5. Mockery

Mockery is a straightforward but versatile PHP mock object framework meant for use along with PHPUnit, PHPSpec, or every other unit testing framework. It gives a check double framework able to defining all attainable object operations and interactions utilizing a human-readable Area Particular Language (DSL).

Mockery’s high options are:

• Allows the versatile era of mock objects and stubs (which offer predefined canned solutions to particular calls made throughout checks)
• Enhances PHPUnit’s check isolation capabilities
• Versatile API to specific mocked expectations, mimicking as a lot as attainable a pure language description (e.g. $mock->shouldReceive('myMethod')->as soon as()->andReturn('Hi there world!');)
• Unit checks utilizing in-memory mock objects to keep away from the necessity to entry slower methods (resembling databases, file methods, or exterior providers)
• Can mock each deterministic and non-deterministic conduct

6. WordPress Native Export Software

WordPress’ native export device downloads the location’s WordPress information to your machine as an XML file, together with posts, pages, customized submit sorts, feedback, customized fields, classes, tags, customized taxonomies, customers, and media. The XML file encompasses a customized format (referred to as WordPress eXtended RSS or WXR file) that may be imported into any WordPress web site.


This device just isn’t particularly designed for testing. Nonetheless, its usefulness comes from with the ability to create snapshots of the WordPress database containing an acceptable dataset, which might then be used for testing. This implies the WordPress web site in manufacturing, which incorporates actual information, will be exported and imported right into a improvement or staging occasion to check new performance.

The WordPress export device’s high options are:

• Creation of testing information utilizing an precise WordPress web site
• Sharable export file of complete database
• Helpful each for integration and unit testing

7. Guzzle

Guzzle is a PHP HTTP shopper that makes it straightforward to ship HTTP requests and combine with net providers.

Guzzle is a generic device, so testing is only one of its attainable use circumstances. Along with an area net server resembling DevKinsta, Guzzle makes it attainable to execute integration checks: You should use Guzzle to ship an HTTP request towards the event net server, then move the response to a unit check in PHPUnit that verifies the content material and headers are set as anticipated.

Guzzle’s high options are:

• Satisfies the PHP Normal Advice “PSR-7” (for HTTP message interfaces), precluding vendor lock-in
• Easy and quick
• Assessments are executed towards an precise WordPress web site, rising reliability
• May be executed from inside PHPUnit for ease and pace
• Integration checks will be automated and added to the Steady Integration course of

8. WP-CLI

WP-CLI is the command-line interface for WordPress. With it, you may replace plugins, configure multisite installations and way more, with out utilizing a net browser.

WP-CLI just isn’t particularly a testing device, however testing is amongst its many use circumstances. For example, after spinning up a brand new improvement net server, you may execute a bash script containing WP-CLI instructions to import testing information into the WordPress web site, create the customers with the suitable roles and capabilities, set up wanted third-party plugins, and different such duties.

Because the script with the WP-CLI instructions will be saved in your Git repository, the method to execute integration checks can then be automated and built-in inside your Steady Integration course of:

1. Use the WordPress export device to generate actual testing information, and retailer it within the Git repository.
2. Use DevKinsta to launch an internet server with a brand new WordPress occasion.
3. Use WP-CLI to import the testing information into the WordPress web site (DevKinsta will be operated by way of WP-CLI).
4. Create a unit check in PHPUnit having Guzzle execute an HTTP request towards the net server to confirm your response content material and headers.

WP-CLI’s high options are:

• Permits distant execution of instructions towards WordPress occasion by way of a command-line interface
• Extensible with different instruments
• Enhances capabilities of the testing stack
• Permits full automation of the method

9. XDebug

XDebug is an extension for PHP that gives a variety of options to enhance the PHP improvement expertise, together with debugging, enhancements to PHP’s error reporting, tracing, profiling, and code protection evaluation.

XDebug won’t enable you check your code, however will assist discover out the place the bug is. Combining XDebug with PHPUnit is especially efficient: If a check fails and you’ll’t discover the supply of the issue, you should use XDebug so as to add breakpoints within the unit check code. When working the unit check once more, the PHP script might be paused at every of these breakpoints, permitting you to examine the present state of the execution (name stack, property and object values, and so forth.) and try to find what’s incorrect.

XDebug’s high options are:

• Options integrations for common PHP editors, together with VS Code, PHPStorm and Chic
• Profiles how a lot time is spent in each operate name and the way a lot reminiscence it consumes
• Rather more highly effective than merely utilizing var_dump to debug code
• Permits for the modification of variable values on the fly when pausing on breakpoints

10. PHPStan

PHPStan is a static evaluation device for PHP, designed to seek out bugs within the code even earlier than writing checks.

PHPStan’s aim is to scale back the variety of checks that builders have to write down. This device is the primary one executed within the testing stack, preemptively catching as many bugs as attainable. Solely these bugs that can’t be deduced from static evaluation (e.g. these with flawed logic) should be validated by way of unit checks.

PHPStan works by scanning the entire codebase and searching for mismatches. For example, the response worth from a operate that returns a float can’t be assigned to a operate parameter of kind integer. At any time when the code incorporates such an incidence, that’s a possible bug, and PHPStan will alert youof it throughout the improvement stage, proper whilst you’re writing the appliance code.

PHPStan’s high options are:

• Automation and integration inside your present Steady Integration course of
• Locates many difficult bugs, resembling kind mismatches
• Scans the entire codebase, discovering bugs in not often executed parts of code
• Organized in ranges of accelerating complexity to permit for gradual integration
• Options extensions for the hottest PHP frameworks and CMSs, together with Symfony, Laravel, Doctrine, Nette, and WordPress

Abstract

The price of having bugs slip unnoticed into your software in manufacturing will be damaging for your popularity and earnings, so you should try to eradicate them earlier than they have an effect on your customers.
Take a look at these 10 useful instruments that may enable you construct a strong stack for testing PHP code in WordPress plugins ✨Click on to Tweet
In advanced purposes, it’s almost unimaginable to have 100% confidence that it’s going to comprise no bugs. Due to this, you should arrange a course of to seek out and take away as many bugs as attainable throughout the preliminary improvement cycle.

With a well-designed testing toolkit, you may enormously decrease the possibilities of your software behaving in sudden methods. The open supply neighborhood has created and made out there loads of instruments to check the totally different points of an software, which you’ll — and will! — make use of to provide a complete testing stack.


On this article, we’ve reviewed 10 instruments that can assist you accomplish your targets for testing PHP code in a WordPress plugin.

Which of those instruments did you utilize on your newest venture? Tell us what you constructed with it within the feedback part under!