netbox-librenms-plugin/.github/instructions/testing.instructions.md

applyTo, description

applyTo	description
tests/**	Testing patterns and conventions for the NetBox LibreNMS plugin

Testing Patterns

General Test Conventions

• Use plain pytest classes, not Django TestCase. Avoid from django.test import TestCase.
• Never use @pytest.mark.django_db for unit tests—mock all database interactions with MagicMock.
• Use inline imports inside test methods to avoid Django initialization at module load time.
• Mock NetBox models (Device, Job, User) with MagicMock() instead of creating real instances.
• Use assert x == y syntax, not self.assertEqual(x, y) (no TestCase inheritance).
• See docs/development/testing.md for test file structure and running instructions.

Background Job Tests

• Instantiate JobRunner subclasses using object.__new__(JobClass) to bypass __init__, then set job.job = MagicMock() and job.logger = MagicMock(). See create_mock_job_runner() helper in tests/test_background_jobs.py.
• Patch deferred/inline imports at their source module (e.g., netbox_librenms_plugin.import_utils.process_device_filters), not the consuming module.
• Patch cache where imported: netbox_librenms_plugin.views.imports.list.cache, not django.core.cache.cache.
• Test view decision logic by setting view._filter_form_data = {...} directly, not via HTTP requests.
• Never use RequestFactory—mock request objects directly or test method logic in isolation.
• Cache key tests must patch get_validated_device_cache_key from import_utils.py; never hardcode key formats like job_123_device_1.

Test File Naming

• Follow the test_{module_name}.py convention for new test files.
• test_netbox_librenms_plugin.py is an empty placeholder — do not add tests there.

Test Coverage by Module

• librenms_api.py → test_librenms_api.py, test_librenms_api_helpers.py
• import_utils.py, import_validation_helpers.py, utils.py → test_import_utils.py, test_import_validation_helpers.py, test_utils.py
• jobs.py, views/imports/list.py → test_background_jobs.py
• Permission mixins, API permissions, constants → test_permissions.py
• VLAN API, mode detection, comparison, sync → test_vlan_sync.py
• VlanAssignmentMixin, VLAN enrichment → test_interface_vlan_sync.py
• Views (views/sync/, views/object_sync/, views/imports/actions.py) — no dedicated test files yet. Test business logic via the utility modules they call, not via HTTP requests.

Permission Test Patterns

When testing permissions (see test_permissions.py for reference):

• Create a mock view instance with object.__new__(ViewClass), set request = MagicMock() with request.user.has_perm.side_effect = lambda p: p in allowed_perms.
• For NetBoxObjectPermissionMixin tests, set required_object_permissions on the instance before calling check_object_permissions().
• Test both the individual methods (has_write_permission(), check_object_permissions()) and the combined require_all_permissions() flow.
• For JSON variants (require_all_permissions_json), assert isinstance(response, JsonResponse) and check response.status_code == 403.

Shared Fixtures (conftest.py)

Reuse fixtures from tests/conftest.py instead of creating ad-hoc mocks:

• Configuration: mock_multi_server_config, mock_legacy_config
• API client: mock_librenms_api
• NetBox objects: mock_netbox_device, mock_netbox_vm, mock_netbox_site, mock_netbox_platform, mock_netbox_device_type, mock_netbox_device_role, mock_netbox_cluster, mock_netbox_rack
• HTTP responses: mock_response_factory, mock_success_response, mock_device_response, mock_error_response, mock_auth_error_response
• Import workflow: sample_librenms_device, sample_librenms_device_minimal, sample_validation_state, sample_validation_state_vm