Throw checked Exceptions from mocks with Mockito

3.3K Asked by artiTrivedi in Java , Asked on Jun 9, 2021

I'm trying to have one of my mocked objects throw a checked exception is invalid for this method is called

@Test(expectedExceptions = SomeException.class)
public void throwCheckedException() {
    List list = mock(List.class);
    when(list.get(0)).thenThrow(new SomeException());
    String test = list.get(0);
}
public class SomeException extends Exception {

} error.

org.testng.TestException: 
Expected exception com.testing.MockitoCheckedExceptions$SomeException but got org.mockito.exceptions.base.MockitoException: 
Checked exception is invalid for this method!
Invalid: com.testing.MockitoCheckedExceptions$SomeException

Looking at the Mockito documentation, they only use Runtime Exception, is it not possible to throw checked Exceptions from a mock object with Mockito?

Answered by Carl Paige

Check the Java API for List. The get(int) method is declared to throw only the IndexOutOfBoundException which extends RuntimeException. You are trying to tell Mockito to throw an exception that is not valid for this method to be thrown by that particular method call.

To clarify further. The List interface does not provide for a checked Exception to be thrown from the get() method and that is why Mockito is failing. When you create the mocked List, Mockito uses the definition of List.class to create its mock. The behavior you are specifying with the when(list.get(0)).thenThrow(new SomeException()) doesn't match the method signature in List.class, so Mockito fails. If you really want to do this, then have Mockito throw a new RuntimeException() or even better throw a new ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException() since the API specifies that that is the only valid Exception to be thrown.

Your Answer

Answers (2)

Ranjana

When working with Mockito in Java, you may encounter situations where you need to mock a method to throw a checked exception. Here's how you can achieve that:

Steps to Throw Checked Exceptions in Mockito:

1. Use thenThrow() for Mocked Methods:

Mockito provides the thenThrow() method to simulate exceptions when a mocked method is called.

Example:

  when(mockedObject.someMethod()).thenThrow(new IOException("Mocked IOException"));

2. Handle Checked Exceptions:

Since checked exceptions must be declared or handled, ensure the test method either declares the exception using throws or wraps it in a try-catch block.

Example:

  @Test(expected = IOException.class)public void testCheckedException() throws IOException {    MyService mockedService = mock(MyService.class);    when(mockedService.performAction()).thenThrow(new IOException("Mocked IOException"));    mockedService.performAction(); // This will throw IOException}

3. Use doThrow() for Void Methods:

If the method you’re mocking is void, use doThrow() instead of when().

Example:

  @Testpublic void testVoidMethodException() throws Exception {    MyService mockedService = mock(MyService.class);    doThrow(new IOException("Mocked IOException"))        .when(mockedService).performVoidAction();    mockedService.performVoidAction(); // This will throw IOException}

Best Practices:

Use specific exceptions to make tests clearer and more meaningful.
Avoid over-mocking; mock only external dependencies, not the code you want to test.
Verify exception handling logic using assertions or expected annotations.

Mockito makes testing robust by enabling controlled exception handling for mocked methods, helping you cover edge cases efficiently!

1 Week

Ranjana

In Mockito, throwing checked exceptions from mocks can be accomplished using the thenThrow method. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to achieve this:

Step-by-Step Guide

Set Up Mockito and Dependencies

org.mockito

mockito-core

4.0.0

test

Ensure you have Mockito in your project. If you are using Maven, include the following dependency in your pom.xml:

For Gradle, add the following to your build.gradle:

  testImplementation 'org.mockito:mockito-core:4.0.0' // Use the latest version

Create a Mock and Configure It to Throw an Exception

Use the when and thenThrow methods to specify that a mock should throw a checked exception.

Here’s an example of a service method that throws an IOException:

import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;

import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;

import org.mockito.Mockito;

import java.io.IOException;

public class MyServiceTest {

    public class MyService {

        public void performAction() throws IOException {

            // Actual implementation

        }

    }

@Test

    public void testPerformActionThrowsIOException() throws IOException {

        // Create a mock instance of MyService

        MyService myServiceMock = mock(MyService.class);

        // Configure the mock to throw IOException when performAction is called

        doThrow(new IOException("IO error")).when(myServiceMock).performAction();

        // Use the mock in your test

        try {

            myServiceMock.performAction();

        } catch (IOException e) {

            // Verify the exception

            assertEquals("IO error", e.getMessage());

        }

    }

}

Using when with Methods that Return Values

If you have a method that returns a value and you want to throw an exception, use the when syntax:

import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;

import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;

import java.io.IOException;

public class MyServiceTest {

    public interface MyService {

        String getData() throws IOException;

    }

    @Test

    public void testGetDataThrowsIOException() throws IOException {

        // Create a mock instance of MyService

        MyService myServiceMock = mock(MyService.class);

        // Configure the mock to throw IOException when getData is called

        when(myServiceMock.getData()).thenThrow(new IOException("IO error"));

        // Use the mock in your test

        try {

            myServiceMock.getData();

        } catch (IOException e) {

            // Verify the exception

            assertEquals("IO error", e.getMessage());

        }

    }

}

Summary

Use doThrow for void methods to throw checked exceptions.
Use when(...).thenThrow for methods that return values to throw checked exceptions.
Ensure your test captures and asserts the expected exception.

These techniques will allow you to simulate and test the behavior of your code when checked exceptions are thrown, enabling more robust and comprehensive unit tests.

8 Months