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PestPHP Introduction Tutorial: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

PestPHP is a modern PHP testing framework that is inspired by Ruby's RSpec and Jest libraries. It is designed to be simple and easy to use, while still providing all of the features you need to write comprehensive and reliable tests.

Benefits of Using PestPHP

PestPHP offers several benefits over other PHP testing frameworks, including:

  • Simplicity: PestPHP is designed to be simple and easy to use, even for beginners. It has a clean and concise API that is easy to learn and remember. Elegance: PestPHP tests are written in a clear and concise style, which makes them easy to read and maintain.

  • Expressiveness: PestPHP provides several features that make it easy to write expressive and readable tests, such as support for nested tests, data providers, and test hooks.

  • Flexibility: PestPHP can be used to test a wide variety of PHP applications, including web applications, console applications, and APIs. When to Use PestPHP.

PestPHP is a good choice for any PHP project that needs to be tested. It is particularly well-suited for projects that are written in a modern PHP style, and for projects that use other modern PHP frameworks, such as Laravel and Symfony.

How to Get Started with PestPHP

To get started with PestPHP, you can install it using the Composer package manager:

composer require pestphp/pest --dev --with-all-dependencies
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Once PestPHP is installed, you can create a new test directory for your project:

Now, you'll need to initialize Pest in your current PHP project. This step will create a configuration file named Pest.php at the root level of your test suite, which will enable you to fine-tune your test suite later.

./vendor/bin/pest --init
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Writing Your First PestPHP Test

To write your first PestPHP test, you can use the following

it('should pass', function () {
 // Your test code goes here.
}) ;
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Or this syntax

test('sum', function () {
   $result = sum(1, 2);

   expect($result)->toBe(3);
});
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The it() function defines a test case. The first argument to the it() function is a human-readable description of the test case. The second argument to the it() function is a callback function that contains your test code.

You can run your tests by executing the following command.

./vendor/bin/pest
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Pest will discover all of your tests and run them. If any of your tests fail, Pest will provide you with a detailed error message.

Conclusion

PestPHP is a modern PHP testing framework that is simple to use, elegant, and expressive. It is a good choice for any PHP project that needs to be tested.

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