date_mocker.md

Clock

Working with date is boring : timezone, testing, ... When following standard quality, DateTime object should be injected into services, but it seems a bit overkill. Except if it is already implemented.

Configuration

# app/config/config.yml

majora_framework_extra:
    # ...
    clock:
        enabled: true            # default false, enable / disable component
        mock_param: "_date_mock" # by default, mock parameter name into request and cli options

Date injection

Majora Clock component is referenced into DIC under the key "majora.clock", which provides a Majora\Framework\Date\Clock object. Only one public method : now(), which returns the current date holded by a DateTime object or a date string if you pass a $format parameter.

You can use this class into your "time-reactive" services, to increase testability, and to be decoupled to date.

Example :

class DelayCalculator
{
    protected $clock;

    public function __construct(Clock $clock)
    {
        $this->clock = $clock;
    }

    public function getDelay(\DateTime $deliveryDate, $format = 'm d')
    {
        return $deliveryDate->diff($this->clock->now())
            ->format($format)
        ;
    }
}

It resolves the 1 sec problem, when time changes between many classes function of time which aren't called at same second : time is created at service construction and won't change.

Date mocking system

Use a provider for current date allows mocking into unit tests, but in current testing ?

Clock component implements a magic parameter for request and a magic option for console commands to mock date directly from execution, to test a specified date.

Examples :

php bin/console article:publication_scheduler --_date_mock="2016-08-01"

GET /articles/published?_date_mock=2016-08-01

Current date into Clock will be mocked by given one.

Roadmap

• v1.3
  • Use DateTimeImmutable instead of cloning current date