Angular unit-test controllers - mocking service inside controller

Question

I have the following situation:

controller.js

controller('PublishersCtrl',['$scope','APIService','$timeout', function($scope,APIService,$timeout) {

    APIService.get_publisher_list().then(function(data){

            });
 }));

controllerSpec.js

'use strict';

describe('controllers', function(){
    var scope, ctrl, timeout;
    beforeEach(module('controllers'));
    beforeEach(inject(function($rootScope, $controller) {
        scope = $rootScope.$new(); // this is what you missed out
        timeout = {};
        controller = $controller('PublishersCtrl', {
            $scope: scope,
            APIService: APIService,
            $timeout: timeout
        });
    }));

    it('should have scope variable equals number', function() {
      expect(scope.number).toBe(3);
    });
});

Error:

 TypeError: Object #<Object> has no method 'get_publisher_list'

I also tried something like this, and it didn't work:

describe('controllers', function(){
    var scope, ctrl, timeout,APIService;
    beforeEach(module('controllers'));

    beforeEach(module(function($provide) {
    var service = { 
        get_publisher_list: function () {
           return true;
        }
    };

    $provide.value('APIService', service);
    }));

    beforeEach(inject(function($rootScope, $controller) {
        scope = $rootScope.$new(); 
        timeout = {};
        controller = $controller('PublishersCtrl', {
            $scope: scope,
            APIService: APIService,
            $timeout: timeout
        }
        );
    }));

    it('should have scope variable equals number', function() {
      spyOn(service, 'APIService');
      scope.get_publisher_list();
      expect(scope.number).toBe(3);
    });
});

How can i solve this? any suggestions?

Solution

There are two ways (or more for sure).

Imagining this kind of service (doesn't matter if it is a factory):

app.service('foo', function() {
  this.fn = function() {
    return "Foo";
  };
});

With this controller:

app.controller('MainCtrl', function($scope, foo) {
  $scope.bar = foo.fn();
});

One way is just creating an object with the methods you will use and spy them:

foo = {
  fn: function() {}
};

spyOn(foo, 'fn').andReturn("Foo");

Then you pass that foo as a dep to the controller. No need to inject the service. That will work.

The other way is to mock the service and inject the mocked one:

beforeEach(module('app', function($provide) {
  var foo = {
    fn: function() {}
  };
  
  spyOn(foo, 'fn').andReturn('Foo');
  $provide.value('foo', foo);
}));

When you inject then foo it will inject this one.

See it here: http://plnkr.co/edit/WvUIrtqMDvy1nMtCYAfo?p=preview

Jasmine 2.0:

For those that struggle with making the answer work,

as of Jasmine 2.0 andReturn() became and.returnValue()

So for example in the 1st test from the plunker above:

describe('controller: MainCtrl', function() {
  var ctrl, foo, $scope;

  beforeEach(module('app'));
  
  beforeEach(inject(function($rootScope, $controller) {
    foo = {
      fn: function() {}
    };
    
    spyOn(foo, 'fn').and.returnValue("Foo"); // <----------- HERE
    
    $scope = $rootScope.$new();
    
    ctrl = $controller('MainCtrl', {$scope: $scope , foo: foo });
  }));
  
  it('Should call foo fn', function() {
    expect($scope.bar).toBe('Foo');
  });

});

(Source: Rvandersteen)

Comments

[dcodesmith]

Your controller.js syntax is wrong

[Liad Livnat]

@dcodesmith yes i shorten it cause what really matters is the function call, ignore all the rest APIService.get_publisher_list()

[Michael J. Calkins]

I refuse to help until you put that strict statement inside a function: pbs.twimg.com/media/BcMF93NCQAAXKhW.jpg

[Jackie]

What if I just wanted to make sure the fn function was called once?

[Jesus Rodriguez]

@Jackie the spy has .calls.count() you can use to verify it is 1.