03-assertions.md

Assertions

Translations: Français

Assertions are mixed into the execution object provided to each test implementation:

test('unicorns are truthy', t => {
	t.truthy('unicorn'); // Assertion
});

Assertions are bound to their test so you can assign them to a variable or pass them around:

test('unicorns are truthy', t => {
	const truthy = t.truthy;
	truthy('unicorn');
});

If multiple assertion failures are encountered within a single test, AVA will only display the first one.

Assertions return true if they've passed and throw otherwise. Catching this error does not cause the test to pass. The error value is undocumented.

If you use TypeScript you can use some assertions as type guards.

Note that the "throws" assertions return the error that was thrown (provided the assertion passed).

Assertion planning

Assertion plans ensure tests only pass when a specific number of assertions have been executed. They'll help you catch cases where tests exit too early. They'll also cause tests to fail if too many assertions are executed, which can be useful if you have assertions inside callbacks or loops.

If you do not specify an assertion plan, your test will still fail if no assertions are executed. Set the failWithoutAssertions option to false in AVA's package.json configuration to disable this behavior.

Note that, unlike tap and tape, AVA does not automatically end a test when the planned assertion count is reached.

These examples will result in a passed test:

test('resolves with 3', t => {
	t.plan(1);

	return Promise.resolve(3).then(n => {
		t.is(n, 3);
	});
});

These won't:

test('loops twice', t => {
	t.plan(2);

	for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
		t.true(i < 3);
	}
}); // Fails, 3 assertions are executed which is too many

test('invokes callback synchronously', t => {
	t.plan(1);

	someAsyncFunction(() => {
		t.pass();
	});
}); // Fails, the test ends synchronously before the assertion is executed

Skipping assertions

Any assertion can be skipped using the skip modifier. Skipped assertions are still counted, so there is no need to change your planned assertion count.

test('skip assertion', t => {
	t.plan(2);
	t.is.skip(foo(), 5); // No need to change your plan count when skipping
	t.is(1, 1);
});

Custom assertions

You can use any assertion library instead of or in addition to the built-in one, provided it throws exceptions when the assertion fails.

This won't give you as nice an experience as you'd get with the built-in assertions though, and you won't be able to use the assertion planning (see #25).

You'll have to configure AVA to not fail tests if no assertions are executed, because AVA can't tell if custom assertions pass. Set the failWithoutAssertions option to false in AVA's package.json configuration.

import assert from 'assert';

test('custom assertion', t => {
	assert(true);
});

Built-in assertions

.pass(message?)

Passing assertion.

.fail(message?)

Failing assertion.

.assert(actual, message?)

Asserts that actual is truthy.

.truthy(actual, message?)

Assert that actual is truthy.

.falsy(actual, message?)

Assert that actual is falsy.

.true(actual, message?)

Assert that actual is true.

.false(actual, message?)

Assert that actual is false.

.is(actual, expected, message?)

Assert that actual is the same as expected. This is based on Object.is().

.not(actual, expected, message?)

Assert that actual is not the same as expected. This is based on Object.is().

.deepEqual(actual, expected, message?)

Assert that actual is deeply equal to expected. See Concordance for details.

.notDeepEqual(actual, expected, message?)

Assert that actual is not deeply equal to expected. The inverse of .deepEqual().

.like(actual, selector, message?)

Assert that actual is like selector. This is a variant of .deepEqual(), however selector does not need to have the same enumerable properties as actual does.

Instead AVA derives a comparable value from actual, recursively based on the enumerable shape of selector. This value is then compared to selector using .deepEqual().

Any values in selector that are not arrays or regular objects should be deeply equal to the corresponding values in actual.

In the following example, the map property of actual must be deeply equal to that of selector. However nested.qux is ignored, because it's not in selector.

t.like({
	map: new Map([['foo', 'bar']]),
	nested: {
		baz: 'thud',
		qux: 'quux'
	}
}, {
	map: new Map([['foo', 'bar']]),
	nested: {
		baz: 'thud',
	}
})

You can also use arrays, but note that any indices in actual that are not in selector are ignored:

t.like([1, 2, 3, 4], [1, , 3])

.throws(fn, expectation?, message?)

Assert that an error is thrown. fn must be a function which should throw. By default, the thrown value must be an error. It is returned so you can run more assertions against it. expectation can be an object with one or more of the following properties:

• any: a boolean, if true then the thrown value does not need to be an error. Defaults to false
• instanceOf: a constructor, the thrown error must be an instance of
• is: the thrown error must be strictly equal to expectation.is
• message: the following types are valid:
  • string - it is compared against the thrown error's message
  • regular expression - it is matched against this message
  • function - it is passed the thrown error message and must return a boolean for whether the assertion passed
• name: the expected .name value of the thrown error
• code: the expected .code value of the thrown error

expectation does not need to be specified. If you don't need it but do want to set an assertion message you have to specify undefined.

Example:

const fn = () => {
	throw new TypeError('🦄');
};

test('throws', t => {
	const error = t.throws(() => {
		fn();
	}, {instanceOf: TypeError});

	t.is(error.message, '🦄');
});

.throwsAsync(thrower, expectation?, message?)

Assert that an error is thrown. thrower can be an async function which should throw, or a promise that should reject. This assertion must be awaited.

By default, the thrown value must be an error. It is returned so you can run more assertions against it. expectation can be an object with one or more of the following properties:

• any: a boolean, if true then the thrown value does not need to be an error. Defaults to false
• instanceOf: a constructor, the thrown error must be an instance of
• is: the thrown error must be strictly equal to expectation.is
• message: the following types are valid:
  • string - it is compared against the thrown error's message
  • regular expression - it is matched against this message
  • function - it is passed the thrown error message and must return a boolean for whether the assertion passed
• name: the expected .name value of the thrown error
• code: the expected .code value of the thrown error

expectation does not need to be specified. If you don't need it but do want to set an assertion message you have to specify undefined.

Example:

test('throws', async t => {
	await t.throwsAsync(async () => {
		throw new TypeError('🦄');
	}, {instanceOf: TypeError, message: '🦄'});
});

const promise = Promise.reject(new TypeError('🦄'));

test('rejects', async t => {
	const error = await t.throwsAsync(promise);
	t.is(error.message, '🦄');
});

.notThrows(fn, message?)

Assert that no error is thrown. fn must be a function which shouldn't throw.

.notThrowsAsync(nonThrower, message?)

Assert that no error is thrown. nonThrower can be an async function which shouldn't throw, or a promise that should resolve.

Like the .throwsAsync() assertion, you must wait for the assertion to complete:

test('resolves', async t => {
	await t.notThrowsAsync(promise);
});

.regex(contents, regex, message?)

Assert that contents matches regex.

.notRegex(contents, regex, message?)

Assert that contents does not match regex.

.snapshot(expected, message?)

Compares the expected value with a previously recorded snapshot. Snapshots are stored for each test, so ensure you give your tests unique titles.

.try(title?, implementation | macro, ...args?)

.try() allows you to try assertions without causing the test to fail.

The implementation function behaves the same as any other test function. You can even use macros. The first title argument is always optional. Additional arguments are passed to the implementation or macro function.

.try() is an asynchronous function. You must await it. The result object has commit() and discard() methods. You must decide whether to commit or discard the result. If you commit a failed result, your test will fail. Calling commit() on a failed result will throw an error.

You can check whether the attempt passed using the passed property. Any assertion errors are available through the errors property. The attempt title is available through the title property.

Logs from t.log() are available through the logs property. You can choose to retain these logs as part of your test by passing {retainLogs: true} to the commit() and discard() methods.

The implementation function receives its own execution context, just like a test function. You must be careful to only perform assertions using the attempt's execution context. At least one assertion must pass for your attempt to pass.

You may run multiple attempts concurrently, within a single test. However you can't use snapshots when you do so.

Example:

const twoRandomIntegers = () => {
	const rnd = Math.round(Math.random() * 100);
	const x = rnd % 10;
	const y = Math.floor(rnd / 10);
	return [x, y];
};

test('flaky macro', async t => {
	const firstTry = await t.try((tt, a, b) => {
		tt.is(a, b);
	}, ...twoRandomIntegers());

	if (firstTry.passed) {
		firstTry.commit();
		return;
	}

	firstTry.discard();
	t.log(firstTry.errors);

	const secondTry = await t.try((tt, a, b) => {
		tt.is(a, b);
	}, ...twoRandomIntegers());
	secondTry.commit();
});