Assert.ThrowsException the async way

The new Windows Phone Test Framework on Visual Studio 2012 Update 2 is a major step in the right direction for testing WP apps.

I particularly like the fact that all tests run on the emulator where they can get the full runtime environment of a real Windows Phone device.

Yet, the test framework still has some pitfalls where we realize it is just not enough!

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about one of these pitfalls, on how to run code in the UI Thread.

Now I’ve stumbled in yet another pitfall, this time on how to run the Assert.ThrowsException with async code!

Microsoft solved this issue on the Windows 8 version of the Test Framework, by adding some Task<Exception> Assert.ThrowsException(Func<Task>) methods, but there is no equivalent in Windows Phone.

This is my personal implementation of these methods for the Windows Phone Test Framework:

public static class AssertExtensions
{
    public static Task<T> ThrowsExceptionAsync<T>(Func<Task> action)
        where T : Exception
    {
        return ThrowsExceptionAsync<T>(action, string.Empty, null);
    }
    public static Task<T> ThrowsExceptionAsync<T>(Func<Task> action, string message)
        where T : Exception
    {
        return ThrowsExceptionAsync<T>(action, message, null);
    }
    public async static Task<T> ThrowsExceptionAsync<T>(Func<Task> action, string message, object[] parameters)
        where T : Exception
    {
        try
        {
            await action();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            if (ex.GetType() == typeof(T))
            {
                return ex as T;
            }
            var objArray = new object[] {
                "AssertExtensions.ThrowsExceptionAsync",
                string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture, FrameworkMessages.WrongExceptionThrown, message, typeof(T).Name, ex.GetType().Name, ex.Message, ex.StackTrace)
            };
            throw new AssertFailedException(string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture, FrameworkMessages.AssertionFailed, objArray));
        }
        var objArray2 = new object[] {
            "AssertExtensions.ThrowsExceptionAsync",
            string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture, FrameworkMessages.NoExceptionThrown, message, typeof(T).Name)
        };
        throw new AssertFailedException(string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture, FrameworkMessages.AssertionFailed, objArray2));
    }
}

Just copy the above code to your test project and then use it like in this sample:

[TestMethod]
public async Task MyTestMethod()
{
    await AssertExtensions.ThrowsExceptionAsync<ArgumentException>(async () =>
    {
        await Windows.Storage.StorageFolder.GetFolderFromPathAsync("");
    });
}

by Pedro Lamas