SKP's Java/Java EE Gotchas: Testing CDI Outside of a Container [Snippet]

Today, we're going to look at a quick look at the trials and tribulations of testing whether your CDI is working in Java EE 6. We're going to focus on testing outside a container, in case you aren't ready to go there yet — say in the initial stages.

Let's get started.

Add the Dependencies in Your Maven Model

<dependency>  
    <groupId>org.jboss.weld.se</groupId>  
    <artifactId>weld-se-core</artifactId>  
    <version>2.2.9.Final</version>  
    <scope>test</scope>  
</dependency>

Develop the Class(es) Which Are Annotated With CDI

@ApplicationScoped  
 public class ContextsDependencyInjectionManager {  
      private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(ContextsDependencyInjectionManager.class);  
      @Resource  
      private ManagedThreadFactory managedThreadFactory;  
      @Inject @Persistent
      private EngagementManager persistentManger;  
      @Inject @Radia
      private EngagementManager radiaManager;  
      @Inject @Accelerite  
      private EngagementManager acceleritManager;  
      @Inject @Services  
      private EngagementManager servicesManager;  

      ... // add functionality, methods, other atrributes
}

Write a Test Case to Test the Class(es) Using Weld-SE

 public class ContextsDependencyInjectionManagerTest {  
      public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {  
           ContextsDependencyInjectionManagerTest test = new ContextsDependencyInjectionManagerTest();  

           // cdi initialization outside of container  
           Weld weld = new Weld();  
           WeldContainer weldContainer = weld.initialize();  
           ContextsDependencyInjectionManager cdiManager = weldContainer.instance()  
                     .select(ContextsDependencyInjectionManager .class).get();  

           ... // other tests, fire events, assert
}

Using/Firing Events in Weld-SE — Test @Observes

If you have used the Observer Pattern or added listeners using @Observes, you may choose to test them out as follows.

weldContainer  
          .event()  
          .select(EngagementAttributeChangedEvent.class)  
          .fire(new EngagementAttributeChangedEvent(  
            EngagementManagerConstants.ENGAGEMENT_MANAGER_ENTITY_DASHBOARD,  
            "contact", "sumith_puri", "pl"));  

This is helpful for developers doing testing before a version is available to deploy in a container. It's particularly useful for understanding if all your dependencies are getting injected and whether the CDI annotations are working as intended.