Constraining generated values

Assumptions

Properties often use assumptions to declare conditions under which they hold.

    @RunWith(JUnitQuickcheck.class)
    public class PrimeFactorsProperties {
        @Property public void factorsPassPrimalityTest(BigInteger n) {
            assumeThat(n, greaterThan(ZERO));

            for (BigInteger each : PrimeFactors.of(n))
                assertTrue(each.isProbablePrime(1000));
        }

        @Property public void factorsMultiplyToOriginal(BigInteger n) {
            assumeThat(n, greaterThan(ZERO));

            BigInteger product = ONE;
            for (BigInteger each : PrimeFactors.of(n))
                product = product.multiply(each);

            assertEquals(n, product);
        }

        @Property public void factorizationsAreUnique(
            BigInteger m,
            BigInteger n) {

            assumeThat(m, greaterThan(ZERO));
            assumeThat(n, greaterThan(ZERO));
            assumeThat(m, not(equalTo(n)));

            assertThat(PrimeFactors.of(m), not(equalTo(PrimeFactors.of(n))));
        }
    }

Sometimes, using assumptions with junit-quickcheck can yield too few values that meet the desired criteria.

    @RunWith(JUnitQuickcheck.class)
    public class SingleDigitProperties {
        @Property public void hold(int digit) {
            // hope we get enough single digits
            assumeThat(digit, greaterThanOrEqualTo(0));
            assumeThat(digit, lessThanOrEqualTo(9));

            // ...
        }
    }

Generator configuration methods

Generator configuration methods and annotations can constrain the values that a generator emits. For example, the @InRange annotation on property parameters of integral, floating-point, and Date types causes the generators for those types to emit values that fall within a configured minimum/maximum.

    @RunWith(JUnitQuickcheck.class)
    public class SingleDigitProperties {
        @Property public void hold(@InRange(min = "0", max = "9") int digit) {
            // ...
        }
    }

Now, the generator will be configured to ensure that every value generated meets the desired criteria – no need to express the desired range of values as an assumption.

Configuration methods vs. assumptions

When using assumptions with junit-quickcheck, every value fed to a property parameter counts against the sample size, even if it doesn’t pass any assumptions made against it in the property. You could end up with no values passing the assumption.

Using generator configurations, assumptions aren’t very important, if needed at all – every value fed to a property parameter counts against the sample size, but will meet some conditions that assumptions would otherwise have tested.

`ValuesOf` (deprecated)

You can mark boolean and enum property parameters with @ValuesOf to force the generation to run through every value in the type’s domain, instead of choosing an element from the domain at random every time.

    enum Ternary { YES, NO, MAYBE }

    @RunWith(JUnitQuickcheck.class)
    public class SmallDomainsProperties {
        @Property public void hold(@ValuesOf boolean b, @ValuesOf Ternary t) {
            // Each verification will be with a different value for b and t.
        }
    }

Constraint expressions

Constraint expressions allow you to filter the values that reach a property parameter. Mark the parameter with @When and give that annotation’s satisfies attribute an OGNL expression that will be used to decide whether a generated value will be given to that parameter.

    @RunWith(JUnitQuickcheck.class)
    public class SingleDigitProperties {
        @Property public void hold(
            @When(satisfies = "#_ >= 0 && #_ <= 9") int digit) {

            // ...
        }
    }

A property parameter is referred to as “_” in the constraint expression. Constraint expressions cannot refer to other property parameters.

junit-quickcheck generates values for a property parameter with a constraint expression until the ratio of constraint failures constraint passes is greater than the discardRatio specified by @When. Exceeding the discard ratio raises an exception and thus fails the property.

junit-quickcheck