Unit Testing Functions That Call Microsoft Enterprise Logging
May 27, 2009
Problem: you have a method that logs a message using the Microsoft Patterns & Practices Enterprise Library Logging Block, and you would like to write an automated unit test for it in NUnit (or Team System – solution is easily adapted). Logging to a flat file doesn't work; the file is still open when you try to read it to verify that the message has been logged. Logging to the database doesn't work; it seems the log isn't written to the database immediately. And so forth. Is there an in-memory way of reading the logged message?
Solution: I wanted to create a Mock or Spy TraceListener, but didn't have the time to
work on this. Thus I gave up on it for a while. Then I remembered that the Enterprise Library
downloaded included unit tests of the library itself. Surely Microsoft already solved the
problem for me? Indeed, they have already created a MockTraceListener class.
Setting up your test
- Build the test NUnit testing project.
- In your project, add a reference to the newly-compiled Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging.Tests.dll, and add a proper using statement in your test class.
- In the TestFixtureSetup and TestFixtureTearDown, call
MockTraceListener.Reset()to clear the log. - Exercise your system under test
- Check to make sure there is an entry in the MockTraceListener:
Assert.IsNotNull(MockTraceListener.LastEntry, "No log entry has been created"); - Check the contents of the
MockTraceListener.LastEntry.Messagto see if the specified message has actually been logged
Setting up the config file
As with any other TraceListener, you must specify this MockTracelistener in the NUnit project's config file:
- In the <listeners> section add:
<add name="sharedMockListener" type="Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging.TraceListeners.Tests.MockTraceListener, Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging.Tests" listenerDataType="Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging.Tests.TraceListeners.MockTraceListenerData, Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging.Tests" /> - In the <specialSources> section, add:
<allEvents switchValue="All" name="All Events"> <listeners> <add name="sharedMockListener" /> </listeners> </allEvents>