# Moodle Behat Testing

> Use when writing or running Behat acceptance tests for Moodle plugins. Covers feature files, custom step definitions, tags, data generators in Background, JavaScript scenarios, and Selenium/Chromedriver setup.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-saadrahman01-claude-moodle-dev-moodle-behat-testing`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [SaadRahman01](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/saadrahman01)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Web & Browser](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/web-and-browser)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [SaadRahman01](https://github.com/SaadRahman01)
- **Source:** https://github.com/SaadRahman01/claude-moodle-dev/tree/main/skills/moodle-behat-testing

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-saadrahman01-claude-moodle-dev-moodle-behat-testing
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Moodle Behat Testing

## Overview

Behat drives a real browser against a dedicated Moodle test site. Features live in `/tests/behat/*.feature`. Custom steps go in `tests/behat/behat_.php` extending `behat_base`. Moodle provides hundreds of built-in steps (login, course creation, navigation).

## When to Use

- Writing end-to-end / acceptance tests
- Testing JavaScript-driven UI (drag-drop, modals, AJAX)
- Reproducing bugs that need full request cycle + cookies + session
- Adding scenarios to a plugin's regression suite

**Skip when:** writing unit tests for business logic — use `moodle-phpunit-testing`.

## First-time setup

```bash
# config.php additions:
$CFG->behat_wwwroot   = 'http://localhost:8000';
$CFG->behat_dataroot  = '/var/moodledata_behat';
$CFG->behat_prefix    = 'beh_';

# Initialize test site:
php admin/tool/behat/cli/init.php

# Install + start a Selenium-compatible driver (one of):
docker run -d -p 4444:4444 selenium/standalone-chrome:latest
# or chromedriver, geckodriver

# Run:
vendor/bin/behat --config /var/moodledata_behat/behat/behat.yml \
  --tags @local_example
```

## Feature file skeleton

```gherkin
@local_example @javascript
Feature: Mark attendance
  In order to track presence
  As a teacher
  I need to mark students present

  Background:
    Given the following "courses" exist:
      | fullname | shortname |
      | Maths    | M101      |
    And the following "users" exist:
      | username | firstname | lastname |
      | teacher1 | Tina      | Teach    |
      | student1 | Sam       | Student  |
    And the following "course enrolments" exist:
      | user     | course | role           |
      | teacher1 | M101   | editingteacher |
      | student1 | M101   | student        |

  Scenario: Teacher marks a student present
    Given I log in as "teacher1"
    And I am on "Maths" course homepage
    When I follow "Attendance"
    And I click on "Mark present" "button" in the "Sam Student" "table_row"
    Then I should see "1 present" in the "Today" "fieldset"
```

Tags:
- `@` — required for `--tags` filtering
- `@javascript` — uses real browser; without it, runs headless (Goutte) — fast but no JS
- `@_file_upload`, `@_switch_window`, `@_alert` — capability tags so runner can skip on incompatible drivers

## Background data generators

Moodle exposes generators as Behat steps via `behat_data_generators`:

```gherkin
Given the following "local_example > items" exist:
  | course | name        | userid    |
  | M101   | First item  | student1  |
```

To enable, declare in `tests/generator/lib.php` AND register in `tests/behat/behat_local_example.php`:

```php
public function get_creatable_entities(): array {
    return [
        'items' => [
            'singular' => 'item',
            'datagenerator' => 'item',
            'required' => ['name'],
            'switchids' => ['course' => 'courseid', 'user' => 'userid'],
        ],
    ];
}
```

Generator method:

```php
// in local_example_generator
public function create_item(array $record): \stdClass {
    // same as PHPUnit generator
}
```

## Custom step definitions

`tests/behat/behat_local_example.php`:

```php
get_plugin_generator('local_example');
        for ($i = 0; $i create_item();
        }
    }

    /**
     * @Then /^the attendance count should be "(\d+)"$/
     */
    public function attendance_count_should_be(int $expected): void {
        global $DB;
        $actual = $DB->count_records('local_example_items');
        if ($actual !== $expected) {
            throw new ExpectationException(
                "Expected $expected, got $actual",
                $this->getSession()
            );
        }
    }
}
```

Class name **must** match `behat_`. After adding/changing steps:

```bash
php admin/tool/behat/cli/init.php    # re-scan
```

## Running

```bash
# All Behat for plugin
vendor/bin/behat --config $CFG->behat_dataroot/behat/behat.yml --tags @local_example

# Single feature
vendor/bin/behat --config ... tests/behat/mark_attendance.feature

# Single scenario (line number)
vendor/bin/behat --config ... tests/behat/mark_attendance.feature:23

# Parallel (4 runners)
php admin/tool/behat/cli/init.php --parallel=4
vendor/bin/moodle_behat_parallel_run --tags @local_example
```

## Selectors (Mink)

| Type | Example |
|------|---------|
| `link` | `I follow "Settings"` |
| `button` | `I press "Save changes"` |
| `field` | `I set the field "Name" to "X"` |
| `select` | `I set the field "Role" to "Manager"` |
| `checkbox` | `I check "Visible"` |
| `table_row` | `... in the "Alice" "table_row"` |
| `fieldset` | `... in the "General" "fieldset"` |
| `dialogue` | `... in the "Confirm" "dialogue"` |
| `css_element` | `I click on ".foo .bar" "css_element"` |
| `xpath_element` | `I click on "//button[@data-x='y']" "xpath_element"` |

## Useful built-in steps

```gherkin
And I am on the "Course 1" "course" page logged in as "teacher1"
And I navigate to "Users > Enrolment methods" in current course administration
And I should see "X" in the "block_settings" "block"
And I wait until the page is ready
And I wait "2" seconds                # avoid; prefer wait-until
And I run the scheduled task "\local_example\task\cleanup"
And I run all adhoc tasks
And the following config values are set as admin:
  | config        | value | plugin        |
  | enabled       | 1     | local_example |
```

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Adding step but not running `behat/cli/init.php` | Re-init after every PHP step change |
| Missing `@javascript` for AJAX UI | Tag scenario `@javascript` and run with browser driver |
| Hard-coded sleeps `I wait 5 seconds` | Use `I wait until ... exists/disappears` |
| Class name mismatch | Must be `behat_` |
| Not switching to dialogue context | Add `in the "..." "dialogue"` selector |
| Forgetting capability tags (`@_file_upload`) | Add so runner can skip on incompatible browsers |
| Editing `behat.yml` directly | Regenerated by `init.php` — config in `config.php` instead |

## Debugging

```bash
# Save HTML+screenshot on failure
$CFG->behat_faildump_path = '/tmp/behat-fails';

# Run a single scenario in foreground browser
vendor/bin/behat --config ... --tags @mytag --stop-on-failure -v

# Pause for inspection
And I should see "this will fail"     # forces a wait you can attach to
```

## CI snippet

```yaml
- name: Behat
  run: |
    php admin/tool/behat/cli/init.php
    vendor/bin/behat --config $MOODLE_DATA/behat/behat.yml \
      --tags @local_example --format=progress
```

## References

- Behat in Moodle: https://moodledev.io/general/development/tools/behat
- Writing tests: https://moodledev.io/general/development/tools/behat/writing
- Step reference: https://moodledev.io/general/development/tools/behat/writing#step-definitions
- Data generators: https://moodledev.io/docs/apis/subsystems/testing/generators#behat

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [SaadRahman01](https://github.com/SaadRahman01)
- **Source:** [SaadRahman01/claude-moodle-dev](https://github.com/SaadRahman01/claude-moodle-dev)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-saadrahman01-claude-moodle-dev-moodle-behat-testing
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/saadrahman01
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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