Documentation Home Behavior-Driven JavaScript
This page is for an older version of Jasmine (1.3)
The current stable version of Jasmine is: 5.4 - You can also look at the docs for the next release: Edge

introduction.js

Jasmine is a behavior-driven development framework for testing JavaScript code. It does not depend on any other JavaScript frameworks. It does not require a DOM. And it has a clean, obvious syntax so that you can easily write tests.

This guide is running against Jasmine version FILLED IN AT RUNTIME.

Suites: describe Your Tests

A test suite begins with a call to the global Jasmine function describe with two parameters: a string and a function. The string is a name or title for a spec suite - usually what is under test. The function is a block of code that implements the suite.

Specs

Specs are defined by calling the global Jasmine function it, which, like describe takes a string and a function. The string is a title for this spec and the function is the spec, or test. A spec contains one or more expectations that test the state of the code under test.

An expectation in Jasmine is an assertion that can be either true or false. A spec with all true expectations is a passing spec. A spec with one or more expectations that evaluate to false is a failing spec.

 
describe("A suite", function() {
it("contains spec with an expectation", function() {
  expect(true).toBe(true);
});
});

It's Just Functions

Since describe and it blocks are functions, they can contain any executable code necessary to implement the test. JavaScript scoping rules apply, so variables declared in a describe are available to any it block inside the suite.

 
describe("A suite is just a function", function() {
var a;

it("and so is a spec", function() {
  a = true;

  expect(a).toBe(true);
});
});

Expectations

Expectations are built with the function expect which takes a value, called the actual. It is chained with a Matcher function, which takes the expected value.

 
describe("The 'toBe' matcher compares with ===", function() {

Matchers

Each matcher implements a boolean comparison between the actual value and the expected value. It is responsible for reporting to Jasmine if the expectation is true or false. Jasmine will then pass or fail the spec.

 
  it("and has a positive case ", function() {
  expect(true).toBe(true);
});

Any matcher can evaluate to a negative assertion by chaining the call to expect with a not before calling the matcher.

 
  it("and can have a negative case", function() {
  expect(false).not.toBe(true);
});
});

Included Matchers

Jasmine has a rich set of matchers included. Each is used here - all expectations and specs pass.

 
describe("Included matchers:", function() {

it("The 'toBe' matcher compares with ===", function() {
  var a = 12;
  var b = a;

  expect(a).toBe(b);
  expect(a).not.toBe(null);
});

describe("The 'toEqual' matcher", function() {

  it("works for simple literals and variables", function() {
    var a = 12;
    expect(a).toEqual(12);
  });

  it("should work for objects", function() {
    var foo = {
      a: 12,
      b: 34
    };
    var bar = {
      a: 12,
      b: 34
    };
    expect(foo).toEqual(bar);
  });
});

it("The 'toMatch' matcher is for regular expressions", function() {
  var message = 'foo bar baz';

  expect(message).toMatch(/bar/);
  expect(message).toMatch('bar');
  expect(message).not.toMatch(/quux/);
});

it("The 'toBeDefined' matcher compares against `undefined`", function() {
  var a = {
    foo: 'foo'
  };

  expect(a.foo).toBeDefined();
  expect(a.bar).not.toBeDefined();
});

it("The `toBeUndefined` matcher compares against `undefined`", function() {
  var a = {
    foo: 'foo'
  };

  expect(a.foo).not.toBeUndefined();
  expect(a.bar).toBeUndefined();
});

it("The 'toBeNull' matcher compares against null", function() {
  var a = null;
  var foo = 'foo';

  expect(null).toBeNull();
  expect(a).toBeNull();
  expect(foo).not.toBeNull();
});

it("The 'toBeTruthy' matcher is for boolean casting testing", function() {
  var a, foo = 'foo';

  expect(foo).toBeTruthy();
  expect(a).not.toBeTruthy();
});

it("The 'toBeFalsy' matcher is for boolean casting testing", function() {
  var a, foo = 'foo';

  expect(a).toBeFalsy();
  expect(foo).not.toBeFalsy();
});

describe("The 'toContain' matcher", function() {
  it("works for finding an item in an Array", function() {
    var a = ["foo", "bar", "baz"];

    expect(a).toContain("bar");
    expect(a).not.toContain("quux");
  });

  it("also works for finding a substring", function() {
    var a = "foo bar baz";

    expect(a).toContain("bar");
    expect(a).not.toContain("quux");
  });
});

it("The 'toBeLessThan' matcher is for mathematical comparisons", function() {
  var pi = 3.1415926, e = 2.78;

  expect(e).toBeLessThan(pi);
  expect(pi).not.toBeLessThan(e);
});

it("The 'toBeGreaterThan' is for mathematical comparisons", function() {
  var pi = 3.1415926, e = 2.78;

  expect(pi).toBeGreaterThan(e);
  expect(e).not.toBeGreaterThan(pi);
});

it("The 'toBeCloseTo' matcher is for precision math comparison", function() {
  var pi = 3.1415926, e = 2.78;

  expect(pi).not.toBeCloseTo(e, 2);
  expect(pi).toBeCloseTo(e, 0);
});

it("The 'toThrow' matcher is for testing if a function throws an exception", function() {
  var foo = function() {
    return 1 + 2;
  };
  var bar = function() {
    return a + 1;
  };

  expect(foo).not.toThrow();
  expect(bar).toThrow();
});
});

Writing a custom matcher

There is also the ability to write custom matchers for when a project's domain calls for specific assertions that are not included.

 
describe("Adding a custom matcher", function() {
beforeEach(function() {
  this.addMatchers({
    toBeGoofy: function(expected) {

toBeGoofy takes an optional expected argument, so define it here if not passed in.

 
        if (expected === undefined) {
        expected = '';
      }

toBeGoofy tests for equality of the actual's hyuk property to see if it matches the expectation.

 
        var pass = this.actual.hyuk === "gawrsh" + expected;

Failure Messages

If left undefined, the expectation will attempt to craft a failure message for the matcher. However, if the message property is set, it will be used for a failed expectation.

 
        if (pass) {

The matcher succeeded, so the custom failure message should be present in the case of a negative expectation - when the expectation is used with .not.

 
          this.message = "Expected " + this.actual + " not to be quite so goofy";
      } else {

The matcher failed, so the custom failure message should be present in the case of a positive expectation

 
          this.message = "Expected " + this.actual + " to be goofy, but it was not very goofy";
      }

Return whether or not the comparison passed

 
        return pass;
    }
  });
});

Once a custom matcher is registered with Jasmine, it is available on any expectation.

 
  it("is available on an expectation", function() {
  expect({
    hyuk: 'gawrsh'
  }).toBeGoofy();
});

it("can take an 'expected' parameter", function() {
  expect({
    hyuk: 'gawrsh is fun'
  }).toBeGoofy(' is fun');
});

it("can be negated", function() {
  expect({
    hyuk: 'this is fun'
  }).not.toBeGoofy();
});
});

Setup and Teardown

To help a test suite DRY up any duplicated setup and teardown code, Jasmine provides the global beforeEach and afterEach functions. As the name implies the beforeEach function is called once before each spec in the describe is run and the afterEach function is called once after each spec.

Here is the same set of specs written a little differently. The variable under test is defined at the top-level scope -- the describe block -- and initialization code is moved into a beforeEach function. The afterEach function resets the variable before continuing.

 
describe("A spec (with setup and tear-down)", function() {
var foo;

beforeEach(function() {
  foo = 0;
  foo += 1;
});

afterEach(function() {
  foo = 0;
});

it("is just a function, so it can contain any code", function() {
  expect(foo).toEqual(1);
});

it("can have more than one expectation", function() {
  expect(foo).toEqual(1);
  expect(true).toEqual(true);
});
});

Nesting describe Blocks

Calls to describe can be nested, with specs defined at any level. This allows a suite to be composed as a tree of functions. Before a spec is executed, Jasmine walks down the tree executing each beforeEach function in order. After the spec is executed, Jasmine walks through the afterEach functions similarly.

 
describe("A spec", function() {
var foo;

beforeEach(function() {
  foo = 0;
  foo += 1;
});

afterEach(function() {
  foo = 0;
});

it("is just a function, so it can contain any code", function() {
  expect(foo).toEqual(1);
});

it("can have more than one expectation", function() {
  expect(foo).toEqual(1);
  expect(true).toEqual(true);
});

describe("nested inside a second describe", function() {
  var bar;

  beforeEach(function() {
    bar = 1;
  });

  it("can reference both scopes as needed ", function() {
    expect(foo).toEqual(bar);
  });
});
});

Disabling Specs and Suites

Suites and specs can be disabled with the xdescribe and xit functions, respectively. These suites and specs are skipped when run and thus their results will not appear in the results.

 
xdescribe("A spec", function() {
var foo;

beforeEach(function() {
  foo = 0;
  foo += 1;
});

xit("is just a function, so it can contain any code", function() {
  expect(foo).toEqual(1);
});
});

Spies

Jasmine's test doubles are called spies. A spy can stub any function and tracks calls to it and all arguments. There are special matchers for interacting with spies.

The toHaveBeenCalled matcher will return true if the spy was called. The toHaveBeenCalledWith matcher will return true if the argument list matches any of the recorded calls to the spy.

 
describe("A spy", function() {
var foo, bar = null;

beforeEach(function() {
  foo = {
    setBar: function(value) {
      bar = value;
    }
  };

  spyOn(foo, 'setBar');

  foo.setBar(123);
  foo.setBar(456, 'another param');
});

it("tracks that the spy was called", function() {
  expect(foo.setBar).toHaveBeenCalled();
});

it("tracks its number of calls", function() {
  expect(foo.setBar.calls.length).toEqual(2);
});

it("tracks all the arguments of its calls", function() {
  expect(foo.setBar).toHaveBeenCalledWith(123);
  expect(foo.setBar).toHaveBeenCalledWith(456, 'another param');
});

it("allows access to the most recent call", function() {
  expect(foo.setBar.mostRecentCall.args[0]).toEqual(456);
});

it("allows access to other calls", function() {
  expect(foo.setBar.calls[0].args[0]).toEqual(123);
});

it("stops all execution on a function", function() {
  expect(bar).toBeNull();
});
});

Spies: andCallThrough

By chaining the spy with andCallThrough, the spy will still track all calls to it but in addition it will delegate to the actual implementation.

 
describe("A spy, when configured to call through", function() {
var foo, bar, fetchedBar;

beforeEach(function() {
  foo = {
    setBar: function(value) {
      bar = value;
    },
    getBar: function() {
      return bar;
    }
  };

  spyOn(foo, 'getBar').andCallThrough();

  foo.setBar(123);
  fetchedBar = foo.getBar();
});

it("tracks that the spy was called", function() {
  expect(foo.getBar).toHaveBeenCalled();
});

it("should not affect other functions", function() {
  expect(bar).toEqual(123);
});

it("when called returns the requested value", function() {
  expect(fetchedBar).toEqual(123);
});
});

Spies: andReturn

By chaining the spy with andReturn, all calls to the function will return a specific value.

 
describe("A spy, when faking a return value", function() {
var foo, bar, fetchedBar;

beforeEach(function() {
  foo = {
    setBar: function(value) {
      bar = value;
    },
    getBar: function() {
      return bar;
    }
  };

  spyOn(foo, 'getBar').andReturn(745);

  foo.setBar(123);
  fetchedBar = foo.getBar();
});

it("tracks that the spy was called", function() {
  expect(foo.getBar).toHaveBeenCalled();
});

it("should not affect other functions", function() {
  expect(bar).toEqual(123);
});

it("when called returns the requested value", function() {
  expect(fetchedBar).toEqual(745);
});
});

Spies: andCallFake

By chaining the spy with andCallFake, all calls to the spy will delegate to the supplied function.

 
describe("A spy, when faking a return value", function() {
var foo, bar, fetchedBar;

beforeEach(function() {
  foo = {
    setBar: function(value) {
      bar = value;
    },
    getBar: function() {
      return bar;
    }
  };

  spyOn(foo, 'getBar').andCallFake(function() {
    return 1001;
  });

  foo.setBar(123);
  fetchedBar = foo.getBar();
});

it("tracks that the spy was called", function() {
  expect(foo.getBar).toHaveBeenCalled();
});

it("should not affect other functions", function() {
  expect(bar).toEqual(123);
});

it("when called returns the requested value", function() {
  expect(fetchedBar).toEqual(1001);
});
});

Spies: createSpy

When there is not a function to spy on, jasmine.createSpy can create a "bare" spy. This spy acts as any other spy - tracking calls, arguments, etc. But there is no implementation behind it. Spies are JavaScript objects and can be used as such.

 
describe("A spy, when created manually", function() {
var whatAmI;

beforeEach(function() {
  whatAmI = jasmine.createSpy('whatAmI');

  whatAmI("I", "am", "a", "spy");
});

it("is named, which helps in error reporting", function() {
  expect(whatAmI.identity).toEqual('whatAmI');
});

it("tracks that the spy was called", function() {
  expect(whatAmI).toHaveBeenCalled();
});

it("tracks its number of calls", function() {
  expect(whatAmI.calls.length).toEqual(1);
});

it("tracks all the arguments of its calls", function() {
  expect(whatAmI).toHaveBeenCalledWith("I", "am", "a", "spy");
});

it("allows access to the most recent call", function() {
  expect(whatAmI.mostRecentCall.args[0]).toEqual("I");
});
});

Spies: createSpyObj

In order to create a mock with multiple spies, use jasmine.createSpyObj and pass an array of strings. It returns an object that has a property for each string that is a spy.

 
describe("Multiple spies, when created manually", function() {
var tape;

beforeEach(function() {
  tape = jasmine.createSpyObj('tape', ['play', 'pause', 'stop', 'rewind']);

  tape.play();
  tape.pause();
  tape.rewind(0);
});

it("creates spies for each requested function", function() {
  expect(tape.play).toBeDefined();
  expect(tape.pause).toBeDefined();
  expect(tape.stop).toBeDefined();
  expect(tape.rewind).toBeDefined();
});

it("tracks that the spies were called", function() {
  expect(tape.play).toHaveBeenCalled();
  expect(tape.pause).toHaveBeenCalled();
  expect(tape.rewind).toHaveBeenCalled();
  expect(tape.stop).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
});

it("tracks all the arguments of its calls", function() {
  expect(tape.rewind).toHaveBeenCalledWith(0);
});
});

Matching Anything with jasmine.any

jasmine.any takes a constructor or "class" name as an expected value. It returns true if the constructor matches the constructor of the actual value.

 
describe("jasmine.any", function() {
it("matches any value", function() {
  expect({}).toEqual(jasmine.any(Object));
  expect(12).toEqual(jasmine.any(Number));
});

describe("when used with a spy", function() {
  it("is useful for comparing arguments", function() {
    var foo = jasmine.createSpy('foo');
    foo(12, function() {
      return true;
    });

    expect(foo).toHaveBeenCalledWith(jasmine.any(Number), jasmine.any(Function));
  });
});
});

Mocking the JavaScript Clock

The Jasmine Mock Clock is available for test suites that need the ability to use setTimeout or setInterval callbacks. It makes the timer callbacks synchronous, thus making them easier to test.

 
describe("Manually ticking the Jasmine Mock Clock", function() {
var timerCallback;

It is installed with a call to jasmine.Clock.useMock in a spec or suite that needs to call the timer functions.

 
  beforeEach(function() {
  timerCallback = jasmine.createSpy('timerCallback');
  jasmine.Clock.useMock();
});

Calls to any registered callback are triggered when the clock is ticked forward via the jasmine.Clock.tick function, which takes a number of milliseconds.

 
  it("causes a timeout to be called synchronously", function() {
  setTimeout(function() {
    timerCallback();
  }, 100);

  expect(timerCallback).not.toHaveBeenCalled();

  jasmine.Clock.tick(101);

  expect(timerCallback).toHaveBeenCalled();
});

it("causes an interval to be called synchronously", function() {
  setInterval(function() {
    timerCallback();
  }, 100);

  expect(timerCallback).not.toHaveBeenCalled();

  jasmine.Clock.tick(101);
  expect(timerCallback.callCount).toEqual(1);

  jasmine.Clock.tick(50);
  expect(timerCallback.callCount).toEqual(1);

  jasmine.Clock.tick(50);
  expect(timerCallback.callCount).toEqual(2);
});
});

Asynchronous Support

Jasmine also has support for running specs that require testing asynchronous operations.

 
describe("Asynchronous specs", function() {
var value, flag;

it("should support async execution of test preparation and expectations", function() {

Specs are written by defining a set of blocks with calls to runs, which usually finish with an asynchronous call.

 
    runs(function() {
    flag = false;
    value = 0;

    setTimeout(function() {
      flag = true;
    }, 500);
  });

The waitsFor block takes a latch function, a failure message, and a timeout.

The latch function polls until it returns true or the timeout expires, whichever comes first. If the timeout expires, the spec fails with the error message.

 
    waitsFor(function() {
    value++;
    return flag;
  }, "The Value should be incremented", 750);

Once the asynchronous conditions have been met, another runs block defines final test behavior. This is usually expectations based on state after the asynch call returns.

 
    runs(function() {
    expect(value).toBeGreaterThan(0);
  });
});
});

The Runner and Reporter

Jasmine is built in JavaScript and must be included into a JS environment, such as a web page, in order to run. Like this web page.

This file is written in JavaScript and is compiled into HTML via Rocco. The JavaScript file is then included, via a <script> tag, so that all of the above specs are evaluated and recorded with Jasmine. Thus Jasmine can run all of these specs. This page is then considered a 'runner.'

Scroll down the page to see the results of the above specs. All of the specs should pass.

Meanwhile, here is how a runner works to execute a Jasmine suite.

 
(function() {
var jasmineEnv = jasmine.getEnv();
jasmineEnv.updateInterval = 250;

Create the HTMLReporter, which Jasmine calls to provide results of each spec and each suite. The Reporter is responsible for presenting results to the user.

 
  var htmlReporter = new jasmine.HtmlReporter();
jasmineEnv.addReporter(htmlReporter);

Delegate filtering of specs to the reporter. Allows for clicking on single suites or specs in the results to only run a subset of the suite.

 
  jasmineEnv.specFilter = function(spec) {
  return htmlReporter.specFilter(spec);
};

Run all of the tests when the page finishes loading - and make sure to run any previous onload handler

Test Results

Scroll down to see the results of all of these specs.

 
  var currentWindowOnload = window.onload;
window.onload = function() {
  if (currentWindowOnload) {
    currentWindowOnload();
  }

  document.querySelector('.version').innerHTML = jasmineEnv.versionString();
  execJasmine();
};

function execJasmine() {
  jasmineEnv.execute();
}
})();

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Thanks

Running documentation inspired by @mjackson and the 2012 Fluent Summit.