stateful-mocks

Context

When testing scenarios where the same method is called multiple times with different outcomes (e.g., double-submit, race conditions, retry logic), you need to simulate state changes in your mocks. This is particularly useful for:

• Double-submit bugs: First call succeeds, second call should fail
• Race conditions: Multiple concurrent calls with different results
• Retry logic: Failed calls followed by successful retry
• State transitions: Operations that change system state between calls

Project: JJGNET Broadcasting
Framework: xUnit + Moq 4.20.72
Use Case: Issue #708 - Testing Web controller behavior when double-submit occurs

Patterns

Pattern 1: Counter-Based State Simulation

Use a local counter variable to track call count and return different results:

[Fact]
public async Task Method_DuplicateCall_HandlesSecondCallFailure()
{
    // Arrange
    var callCount = 0;
    _mockService
        .Setup(s => s.AddSomething(It.IsAny<int>(), It.IsAny<int>()))
        .ReturnsAsync(() =>
        {
            callCount++;
            if (callCount == 1)
            {
                return new SuccessResult();  // First call succeeds
            }
            throw new ConflictException("Duplicate");  // Second call fails
        });

    // Act
    var firstResult = await _controller.Action();   // Call 1: success
    var secondResult = await _controller.Action();  // Call 2: error

    // Assert
    Assert.IsType<RedirectResult>(firstResult);
    Assert.Contains("success", _controller.TempData["Message"]);
    Assert.IsType<RedirectResult>(secondResult);
    Assert.Contains("Duplicate", _controller.TempData["ErrorMessage"]);
}

Pattern 2: Queue-Based Sequence

For more complex sequences, use a queue of responses:

var responses = new Queue<Result>(new[] {
    new Result { Success = true },
    new Result { Success = false, Error = "Conflict" },
    new Result { Success = true }  // Retry succeeds
});

_mockService
    .Setup(s => s.Process())
    .ReturnsAsync(() => responses.Dequeue());

Pattern 3: Callback Capture + State Check

Capture the state passed to the mock to verify it changes between calls:

var capturedStates = new List<State>();
_mockService
    .Setup(s => s.Update(It.IsAny<State>()))
    .Callback<State>(state => capturedStates.Add(state))
    .ReturnsAsync(true);

// ... multiple calls ...

Assert.Equal(2, capturedStates.Count);
Assert.Equal("Initial", capturedStates[0].Status);
Assert.Equal("Updated", capturedStates[1].Status);

Examples

Real Example: Issue #708 AddPlatform Double-Submit Test

File: src/JosephGuadagno.Broadcasting.Web.Tests/Controllers/EngagementsControllerTests.cs

[Fact]
public async Task AddPlatform_Post_DuplicateAttempt_ShouldHandleHttpRequestException()
{
    // Arrange - Simulates the double-submit scenario from issue #708
    // First call succeeds, second call would fail with 409 Conflict
    var viewModel = new EngagementSocialMediaPlatformViewModel
    {
        EngagementId = 42,
        SocialMediaPlatformId = 1,
        Handle = "@TestHandle"
    };

    var firstCallSucceeds = new EngagementSocialMediaPlatform
    {
        EngagementId = 42,
        SocialMediaPlatformId = 1,
        Handle = "@TestHandle"
    };

    var callCount = 0;
    _engagementService
        .Setup(s => s.AddPlatformToEngagementAsync(42, 1, "@TestHandle"))
        .ReturnsAsync(() =>
        {
            callCount++;
            if (callCount == 1)
            {
                return firstCallSucceeds;
            }
            throw new HttpRequestException("API returned 409 Conflict");
        });

    // Act - First call (succeeds)
    var firstResult = await _controller.AddPlatform(viewModel);

    // Assert first call
    var firstRedirect = Assert.IsType<RedirectToActionResult>(firstResult);
    Assert.Equal("Edit", firstRedirect.ActionName);
    Assert.Equal("Platform added successfully.", _controller.TempData["SuccessMessage"]);

    // Act - Second call (simulates double-submit, should be caught)
    var secondResult = await _controller.AddPlatform(viewModel);

    // Assert second call - Error should be caught and user-friendly message shown
    var secondRedirect = Assert.IsType<RedirectToActionResult>(secondResult);
    Assert.Equal("Edit", secondRedirect.ActionName);
    Assert.Contains("409 Conflict", (string)_controller.TempData["ErrorMessage"]!);
}

Key Points:

• Counter variable (callCount) tracks which call is executing
• First call returns success result
• Second call throws exception (simulating backend 409 Conflict)
• Test verifies controller handles both outcomes correctly
• Provides regression coverage for double-submit bug without requiring JavaScript tests

Anti-Patterns

❌ Using .SetupSequence() for Exception Cases

Don't:

_mock.SetupSequence(s => s.Method())
    .ReturnsAsync(new Result())
    .Throws(new Exception());  // Throws synchronously, not async!

Do:

_mock.Setup(s => s.Method())
    .ReturnsAsync(() => callCount++ == 0 ? new Result() : throw new Exception());

Reason: .Throws() in SetupSequence doesn't work with async methods. Use callback-based logic instead.

❌ Mutating Shared State Without Isolation

Don't:

private int _sharedCallCount = 0;  // Shared across tests!

[Fact]
public void Test1() { /* uses _sharedCallCount */ }

[Fact]
public void Test2() { /* uses _sharedCallCount */ }

Do:

[Fact]
public void Test1() 
{
    var callCount = 0;  // Local to this test
    // ...
}

Reason: xUnit doesn't guarantee test execution order. Shared state causes flaky tests.

❌ Complex State Logic in Mock Setup

Don't:

_mock.Setup(s => s.Method())
    .ReturnsAsync(() => {
        // 50 lines of complex business logic
        // ...
    });

Do:

• Keep mock logic simple (counters, flags, queues)
• If you need complex logic, extract it to a helper method or reconsider the test design
• Complex mock logic often indicates the test is too broad

When to Use

Use stateful mocks when:

• ✅ Testing sequential calls to the same method with different outcomes
• ✅ Simulating state changes (e.g., resource created, then updated)
• ✅ Testing error recovery or retry logic
• ✅ Regression testing for race conditions or timing bugs
• ✅ Verifying controller behavior across multiple requests (like double-submit)

Don't use stateful mocks when:

• ❌ A single .Setup() with fixed return value suffices
• ❌ You're testing business logic that should be in the service layer, not the controller
• ❌ The state logic is so complex it becomes harder to understand than the code under test

Related Patterns

• Callback Capture Pattern (Tank history #137) - Capture objects passed to mocks for assertion
• Defense-in-Depth Testing (Tank history #263) - Layer validation at multiple levels (client, web, API, data)
• Web.Tests TempData Pattern (Tank history #276) - Initialize TempData in Web controller tests

References

• Issue: #708 - Double-submit bug on AddPlatform form
• Files:
  • src/JosephGuadagno.Broadcasting.Web.Tests/Controllers/EngagementsControllerTests.cs (lines 505-560)
• Decision: .squad/decisions/inbox/tank-708-web-tests.md
• History: .squad/agents/tank/history.md (2026-04-13 session)