Eclipse Plugin FAQ

I have tried to anticipate the most common problems and address them in the Help that comes with the MXUnit Eclipse plugin. You should always consult the Help first! (The help is the Question Mark icon in the plugin view)

Q: What version of Eclipse will the plugin work in?

A: As of right now, Eclipse 3.4 and later. If you need a version that works on Eclipse 3.3, use http://mxunit.org/update33 as the update site

Q: Why won't the plugin see "MyFile.cfc" as a test?

A: Because the file doesn't start or end with the word "Test".

Q: What is a RemoteFacade and what is its purpose?

A: The RemoteFacade.cfc is a webservice component that acts as a bridge between Eclipse and your tests. It exposes methods, via SOAP, which the plugin uses to communicate with ColdFusion. By default your tests can simply use the RemoteFacade.cfc that lives in the MXUnit framework directory. However, in any case where your tests rely on Application or Session variables, then you'll need a custom RemoteFacade that lives in the same application as your tests. This is quite simple, and the best documentation is in the Plugin itself. Click the green question mark in the MXUnit view.

You do NOT put test code in there!

Q: The plugin seems to be ignoring my custom RemoteFacade.cfc URL

A: Try restarting Eclipse. Also, it only honors that URL when it's set at the project level, not in a subdirectory of a project

Q: The plugin can't figure out my "cfc path" (dot notation)

A: Read the plugin help. If you still can't figure it out from reading the help, please email the Google Group

Q: The plugin won't do anything with a TestSuite I created

A: The plugin doesn't do test suites. Read the Help for an explanation

Q: Why doesn't the plugin support NTLMv2?

A: Because neither Apache Axis nor commons HTTPClient doesn't support it. There does not, as of this writing, appear to be a free java client for NTLMv2

Q: When I run the tests in the plugin, my Application scope variables aren't present

A: You'll need a custom RemoteFacade.cfc (very easy!). See the Plugin Help.

Q: When I run the tests in the plugin, I get "Variable FORM is undefined". Why?

A: The plugin runs the tests via SOAP. The form scope is not available to ColdFusion components during webservice calls. My advice: Don't use the form scope in your CFCs

Q: When I add certain variables to a "debug()" call, the plugin hangs. Why?

A: debug() duplicates and then cfdumps whatever variables are passed into it. Depending on the content of the variable you're trying to debug, this could kill ColdFusion.

Q: What are the differences between how the plugin runs tests and how the tests run when I run them in the browser?

A: The plugin runs test test one test at a time, one request at a time. This means there is zero chance for "bleed" from one test method run to another. When you run them in the browser, they're run as a single request.

In addition, since the plugin runs the tests via SOAP, the FORM scope is not available.

Q: What do you call a snail in a ship?

A: A Snailor!

Q: Does the Plugin work in ColdFusion Builder?

A: Of course

Q: Do I need to do something special to test ColdFusion ORM apps?

A: Yes, you need to set a custom RemoteFacade URL on the project. On the MXUnit view, click the Green Help Icon (or hit F1), and click "Talking to ColdFusion: The RemoteFacade.cfc URL". From there, click the link at the bottom of the page, which takes you to the "Project-Specific RemoteFacade URL" page. This has all the instructions you should need.

Q: How are test methods ordered, and can I control the order?

By default, the MXUnit framework will order test methods in the order reported by ColdFusion's getMetadata() function. However, the Eclipse plugin, by default, with auto-alphabetize the methods. If you wish to change the Plugin to preserve the ordering returned by the framework, go into Window -- Preferences -- MXUnit and Deselect the "Alphabetize Tests" Checkbox.