---
title: "Testing — Options for Laravel | Roundly"
description: "Options::fake() records every write in memory with six assertions; or test against the real table with factory states."
url: https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/options-for-laravel/testing
language: en
---

[All packages](https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source.md)

[Options for Laravel](https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/options-for-laravel.md)

# Testing

Options::fake() swaps the manager for an in-memory store: nothing touches the database, and every write is recorded. It returns the fake (RoundlyConsulting\\Options\\Testing\\OptionsFake, a subclass of OptionsManager) for assertions; each assertion also works statically, as Options::assertSet(…):

```php
use RoundlyConsulting\Options\Facades\Options;

it('records writes from every entry point', function () {
    $fake = Options::fake();
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    Options::set(ThemeOption::class, 'dark');          // the facade
    $user->option(ThemeOption::class)->set('light');   // the HasOptions trait
    LocaleOption::for($user)->forget();                // an option instance

    expect(Options::get(ThemeOption::class))->toBe('dark'); // reads come from memory

    $fake->assertSet(ThemeOption::class, 'dark');          // global scope
    $fake->assertSet(ThemeOption::class, 'light', $user);  // the user's scope
    $fake->assertSet(ThemeOption::class);                  // set to anything, globally
    $fake->assertForgotten(LocaleOption::class, $user);
    $fake->assertNothingImported();
});

it('records imports', function () {
    Options::fake();

    Options::import('[{"key": "theme", "value": "dark"}]');

    Options::assertImported();                                               // static form
    Options::assertImported(fn (array $payloads) => count($payloads) === 1); // list<OptionPayload>
});

it('changes nothing on a read-only page', function () {
    $fake = Options::fake();

    $this->get('/dashboard')->assertOk();

    $fake->assertNothingSet();
    $fake->assertNothingForgotten();
    $fake->assertNothingImported();
});
```

## Assertions

| Assertion | Passes when |
| --- | --- |
| `assertSet($option, $value = null, $owner = null)` | The option was set in that scope (null = global) — to $value as you passed it, or to anything when $value is null. |
| `assertNothingSet()` | No option was set at all. |
| `assertForgotten($option, $owner = null)` | The option was forgotten (or reset) in that scope. |
| `assertNothingForgotten()` | No option was forgotten or reset. |
| `assertImported(?Closure $callback = null)` | An import() happened — optionally one whose list<OptionPayload> passes the callback. |
| `assertNothingImported()` | Nothing was imported. |

## What the fake covers

Every value operation funnels through the manager, so the fake sees all of them: the facade, an OptionsManager resolved after the call, the for() / option() / key() / group() handles, option instances such as ThemeOption::for($user)->set(), the HasOptions trait, the options() and setting() helpers and @option. It behaves like the real manager where a test would notice:

- Writes are validated against rules() — an invalid one throws and isn’t recorded.
- Reads return the cast type, exactly as with the database; setMany() and group writes validate the whole batch first.
- export() and exportJson() read the in-memory store with the real scoping rules; it holds what the database would — raw strings, ciphertext for an encrypted option. import() is recorded and loaded into it; a non-scalar value throws InvalidOptionPayload, as the real one does, and nothing is recorded.
- Keys you registered with Options::register() before calling fake() still resolve.
- Access control and observers still run; events aren’t dispatched and caches aren’t used.
- assertSet() compares the value as you passed it, not the cast one.

## Database-backed tests

The in-request memo is bound in the container, so each test’s fresh application starts with an empty one. The persistent cache lives in your cache store — if tests share a store that outlives the application (file, Redis), flush it in beforeEach:

```php
use RoundlyConsulting\Options\Facades\Options;
use RoundlyConsulting\Options\Option;

beforeEach(fn () => Options::flushCache());

it('reads a seeded global value', function () {
    Option::factory()->global()->create(['key' => 'theme', 'value' => 'dark']);

    expect(Options::get(ThemeOption::class))->toBe('dark');
});
```

## Factory states

```php
use RoundlyConsulting\Options\Option;

Option::factory()->global()->create(['key' => 'theme', 'value' => 'dark']);
Option::factory()->forOwner($user)->value('light')->create(['key' => 'theme']);
Option::factory()->withMeta(['source' => 'seed'])->create();
```

The factory writes value as-is, so store the serialized form for options with a non-string cast.

## Package test suite

```bash
composer test
```

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