Update:
Some 10 years later perhaps the best way to test a private method, or any inaccessible member, is via @Jailbreak
from the Manifold framework.
@Jailbreak Foo foo = new Foo();
// Direct, *type-safe* access to *all* foo's members
foo.privateMethod(x, y, z);
foo.privateField = value;
This way your code remains type-safe and readable. No design compromises, no overexposing methods and fields for the sake of tests.
If you have somewhat of a legacy Java application, and you're not allowed to change the visibility of your methods, the best way to test private methods is to use reflection.
Internally we're using helpers to get/set private
and private static
variables as well as invoke private
and private static
methods. The following patterns will let you do pretty much anything related to the private methods and fields. Of course, you can't change private static final
variables through reflection.
Method method = TargetClass.getDeclaredMethod(methodName, argClasses);
method.setAccessible(true);
return method.invoke(targetObject, argObjects);
And for fields:
Field field = TargetClass.getDeclaredField(fieldName);
field.setAccessible(true);
field.set(object, value);
Notes:
1. TargetClass.getDeclaredMethod(methodName, argClasses)
lets you look into private
methods. The same thing applies for
getDeclaredField
.
2. The setAccessible(true)
is required to play around with privates.
From the Java Tutorial:
Nested classes are divided into two categories: static and non-static. Nested classes that are declared static are simply called static nested classes. Non-static nested classes are called inner classes.
Static nested classes are accessed using the enclosing class name:
OuterClass.StaticNestedClass
For example, to create an object for the static nested class, use this syntax:
OuterClass.StaticNestedClass nestedObject = new OuterClass.StaticNestedClass();
Objects that are instances of an inner class exist within an instance of the outer class. Consider the following classes:
class OuterClass {
...
class InnerClass {
...
}
}
An instance of InnerClass can exist only within an instance of OuterClass and has direct access to the methods and fields of its enclosing instance.
To instantiate an inner class, you must first instantiate the outer class. Then, create the inner object within the outer object with this syntax:
OuterClass outerObject = new OuterClass()
OuterClass.InnerClass innerObject = outerObject.new InnerClass();
see: Java Tutorial - Nested Classes
For completeness note that there is also such a thing as an inner class without an enclosing instance:
class A {
int t() { return 1; }
static A a = new A() { int t() { return 2; } };
}
Here, new A() { ... }
is an inner class defined in a static context and does not have an enclosing instance.
Best Answer
I don't know why you want to avoid changing code, but you may have your reasons. You can't simply verify that the super method was called on a spy. However, you may still be able to test this method without changing the code. The only way to do that, though, is without the spy. In other words, you will have to verify the functionality of
someMethod
with assertions or verifications on other mocks. For example, if the Sup class were implemented trivially thus:Then you could write your test case thus:
That being said, calling
super.someMethod()
from anything other thanSub.someMethod()
(which doesn't exist) looks like a gotcha waiting to happen. IfSub.someMethod()
does not exist, thensuper.someMethod()
is equivalent tosomeMethod()
. But, if someone were to override it in the future, would you really wantmethod(Object o)
to sneakily bypass the overridden one and call the super implementation anyway?By calling
super.someMethod()
you gain nothing but risk future bugs.