Consecutive calls mocking /w phpspec

FooSpec.php

<?php

/**
 * What I want to achieve
 */
class FooSpec
{
    function it_does_stuff($collab)
    {
        $collab->doCollabStuf()->willReturn('foo'); // Returns foo the first time
        $collab->doCollabStuf()->willReturn('bar'); // Returns bar the second time
                                                    // Returns null the third time
        
        $this->doStuff()
    }
}

/**
 * What I usually do
 */
 class FooSpec
{
    function it_does_stuff($collab)
    {
        $returns = ['foo', 'bar']
        $collab->doCollabStuf()->will(function() use (&$returns) {
            return array_shift($returns);
        });
        
        $this->doStuff()
    }
}

<?php

/**
 * you could also do (not really better in this particular case)
 */
 class FooSpec
{
    function it_does_stuff($collab)
    {
        $collab->doCollabStuf()->will(function() use ($collab) {
            $collab->doCollabStuf()->willReturn('bar');

            return 'foo';
        });

        $this->doStuff()
    }
}

ReturnPromise has a little gem hidden inside it (hidden because it is not documented anywhere AFAIK): it supports having multiple return values, which are returned one after the other (the last one being used after that if there is more calls):

<?php
$collab->doCollabStuf()->willReturn('foo', 'bar', null);

You have a statefull object that mixes query and command in one message. That's considered an anti-pattern by Prophecy (and many OOP practitioners). But generally, such behaviour is representable by this block of code:

<?php
$collab->doCollabStuf()->will(function() {
    static $returns = ['foo', 'bar'];

    return array_shift($returns);
});

You have a small logic operating on a static state.

As any other anti-pattern, this one has a moments of usefulness. For example, when you're describing behaviour of RNG or methods that are full of side-effects by nature. For such limited cases, Prophecy has a hidden (by purpose) shortcut for the:

<?php
$randomizer->getRandomNumber()->will(function() {
    static $returns = ['foo', 'bar'];

    return array_shift($returns);
});

in form of:

<?php
$randomizer->getRandomNumber()->willReturn('foo', 'bar');

@stof my last comment is the reason why it's not documented :)

Allright, thanks!

We won't use this feature too much, promise!

🍻

@gquemener the general idea of CQRS is very simple - you have queries and commands. Query should always have same behaviour - called with the same arguments should always produce same result. The way to change your query behaviour is by using commands.

Prophecy is opinionated towards CQRS.

Thanks for the explanation @everzet.

However, I'm not sure to fully understand what you mean by "command", I've found an article of Martin Fowler about CQRS (http://martinfowler.com/bliki/CQRS.html).
I'll read it when I have enough time.

commands are things that permit to change state, while queries are here to read (eventually) current state.