Exclude some JUnit tests from automated test suite

Question

When writing code that interacts with external resources (such as using a web service or other network operation), I often structure the classes so that it can also be "stubbed" using a file or some other input method. So then I end up using the stubbed implementation to test other parts of the system and then one or two tests that specifically test calling the web service.

The problem is I don't want to be calling these external services either from Jenkins or when I run all of the tests for my project (e.g. "gradle test"). Some of the services have side effects, or may not be accessible to all developers.

Right now I just uncomment and then re-comment the @Test annotation on these particular test methods to enable and disable them. Enable it, run it manually to check it, then remember to comment it out again.

// Uncomment to test external service manually
//@Test
public void testSomethingExternal() {

Is there is a better way of doing this?

EDIT: For manual unit testing, I use Eclipse and am able to just right-click on the test method and do Run As -> JUnit test. But that doesn't work without the (uncommented) annotation.

Answer 1

I recommend using junit categories. See this blog for details : https://community.oracle.com/blogs/johnsmart/2010/04/25/grouping-tests-using-junit-categories-0.

Basically, you can annotate some tests as being in a special category and then you can set up a two test suites : one that runs the tests of that category and one that ignores tests in that category (but runs everything else)

@Category(IntegrationTests.class)
public class AccountIntegrationTest {

  @Test
  public void thisTestWillTakeSomeTime() {
    ...
   }

  @Test
  public void thisTestWillTakeEvenLonger() {
     ....
  }

}

you can even annotate individual tests"

public class AccountTest {

   @Test
   @Category(IntegrationTests.class)
   public void thisTestWillTakeSomeTime() {
     ...
    }

Anytime I see something manually getting turned on or off I cringe.