Unit Testing

Searchable keywords: unit test, AUnit, test class, cl_abap_unit_assert, FOR TESTING, setup, teardown, RISK LEVEL, DURATION, WITH_UNIT_TESTS, testclasses

TOPICS IN THIS FILE

Local Test Classes - line 22
File Structure - line 24
Required Elements - line 35
Naming Conventions - line 67
Common Mistake: DDLS Testing - line 133

Unit Testing with Local Test Classes

File Structure

For ABAP local unit tests, use a separate file with .testclasses.abap extension:

abap/
  zcl_my_class.clas.abap          <- Main class (no test code)
  zcl_my_class.clas.testclasses.abap  <- Local test class
  zcl_my_class.clas.xml           <- XML with WITH_UNIT_TESTS = X

Required Elements

Test class file (zcl_my_class.clas.testclasses.abap):

*"* use this source file for your test class implementation
*"* local test class
CLASS ltcl_zcl_my_class DEFINITION FOR TESTING DURATION SHORT RISK LEVEL HARMLESS.
  PRIVATE SECTION.
    DATA mo_cut TYPE REF TO zcl_my_class.
    METHODS setup.
    METHODS test_method1 FOR TESTING.
    METHODS test_method2 FOR TESTING.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS ltcl_zcl_my_class IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD setup.
    CREATE OBJECT mo_cut.
  ENDMETHOD.
  METHOD test_method1.
    " Test code using cl_abap_unit_assert
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

XML metadata (zcl_my_class.clas.xml):

<VSEOCLASS>
  ...
  <WITH_UNIT_TESTS>X</WITH_UNIT_TESTS>
</VSEOCLASS>

Naming Conventions

Test class name: LTCL_ZCL_<CLASSNAME> (e.g., LTCL_ZCL_COMMAND_PULL)
Test methods: TEST_<methodname> FOR TESTING or simply test_method FOR TESTING
Test file: <classname>.clas.testclasses.abap

CRITICAL: Method Name Length Limit

Test method names MUST NOT exceed 30 characters!

" WRONG - 34 characters (syntax error)
METHODS test_execute_with_minimal_params FOR TESTING.

" CORRECT - 18 characters
METHODS test_exec_minimal FOR TESTING.

Examples of compliant names:

test_get_name (13 chars)
test_exec_minimal (18 chars)
test_exec_files (16 chars)
test_interface (15 chars)

Test Methods and RAISING Clause

If a test method calls methods that raise exceptions, add RAISING to the method definition:

" CORRECT - declare that method can raise exceptions
METHODS test_validate_ddls FOR TESTING RAISING cx_static_check.
METHODS test_read_data FOR TESTING RAISING cx_dd_ddl_check.

" Then implement with TRY-CATCH if needed
METHOD test_validate_ddls.
  TRY.
      mo_cut->some_method( ).
    CATCH cx_static_check.
      " Handle exception
  ENDTRY.
ENDMETHOD.

Common Assertions

cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_equals( act = lv_actual exp = lv_expected msg = 'Error message' ).
cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_not_initial( act = lv_data msg = 'Should not be initial' ).
cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_bound( act = lo_ref msg = 'Should be bound' ).
cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_true( act = lv_bool msg = 'Should be true' ).

What NOT To Do

❌ Don’t add test methods directly in the main .clas.abap file
❌ Don’t use CLASS ... DEFINITION ... without the special comment header
❌ Don’t reference <TESTCLASS> in XML - abapGit auto-detects .testclasses.abap
❌ Don’t use nested local classes inside the main class definition

⚠️ Common Mistake: CDS Views Don’t Have `.testclasses.abap` Files

WRONG - Creating test file for DDLS:

zc_my_view.ddls.asddls
zc_my_view.ddls.testclasses.abap  ❌ This doesn't work!
zc_my_view.ddls.xml

Error you’ll see:

The REPORT/PROGRAM statement is missing, or the program type is INCLUDE.

CORRECT - Test CDS views using separate CLAS test classes:

zc_flight_revenue.ddls.asddls               ← CDS view definition
zc_flight_revenue.ddls.xml                  ← CDS metadata

zcl_test_flight_revenue.clas.abap           ← Test class definition
zcl_test_flight_revenue.clas.testclasses.abap  ← Test implementation
zcl_test_flight_revenue.clas.xml            ← Class metadata (WITH_UNIT_TESTS=X)

Why: Each ABAP object type has its own testing pattern:

CLAS (classes): Use .clas.testclasses.abap for the same class
DDLS (CDS views): Use separate CLAS test class with CDS Test Double Framework
FUGR (function groups): Use .fugr.testclasses.abap
PROG (programs): Use .prog.testclasses.abap

Don’t assume patterns from one object type apply to another!

See “Unit Testing CDS Views” section below for the correct CDS testing approach.

Running Tests

In ABAP: SE24 → Test → Execute Unit Tests

Or via abapGit: Pull the files and run tests in the ABAP system.

Unit Testing CDS Views

For full CDS test double patterns (basic setup, aggregations, CDS-on-CDS), see:

abapgit-agent ref --topic cds-testing