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1# gMock for Dummies
2
3## What Is gMock?
4
5When you write a prototype or test, often it's not feasible or wise to rely on
6real objects entirely. A **mock object** implements the same interface as a real
7object (so it can be used as one), but lets you specify at run time how it will
8be used and what it should do (which methods will be called? in which order? how
9many times? with what arguments? what will they return? etc).
10
11It is easy to confuse the term *fake objects* with mock objects. Fakes and mocks
12actually mean very different things in the Test-Driven Development (TDD)
13community:
14
15*   **Fake** objects have working implementations, but usually take some
16    shortcut (perhaps to make the operations less expensive), which makes them
17    not suitable for production. An in-memory file system would be an example of
18    a fake.
19*   **Mocks** are objects pre-programmed with *expectations*, which form a
20    specification of the calls they are expected to receive.
21
22If all this seems too abstract for you, don't worry - the most important thing
23to remember is that a mock allows you to check the *interaction* between itself
24and code that uses it. The difference between fakes and mocks shall become much
25clearer once you start to use mocks.
26
27**gMock** is a library (sometimes we also call it a "framework" to make it sound
28cool) for creating mock classes and using them. It does to C++ what
29jMock/EasyMock does to Java (well, more or less).
30
31When using gMock,
32
331.  first, you use some simple macros to describe the interface you want to
34    mock, and they will expand to the implementation of your mock class;
352.  next, you create some mock objects and specify its expectations and behavior
36    using an intuitive syntax;
373.  then you exercise code that uses the mock objects. gMock will catch any
38    violation to the expectations as soon as it arises.
39
40## Why gMock?
41
42While mock objects help you remove unnecessary dependencies in tests and make
43them fast and reliable, using mocks manually in C++ is *hard*:
44
45*   Someone has to implement the mocks. The job is usually tedious and
46    error-prone. No wonder people go great distance to avoid it.
47*   The quality of those manually written mocks is a bit, uh, unpredictable. You
48    may see some really polished ones, but you may also see some that were
49    hacked up in a hurry and have all sorts of ad hoc restrictions.
50*   The knowledge you gained from using one mock doesn't transfer to the next
51    one.
52
53In contrast, Java and Python programmers have some fine mock frameworks (jMock,
54EasyMock, etc), which automate the creation of mocks. As a result, mocking is a
55proven effective technique and widely adopted practice in those communities.
56Having the right tool absolutely makes the difference.
57
58gMock was built to help C++ programmers. It was inspired by jMock and EasyMock,
59but designed with C++'s specifics in mind. It is your friend if any of the
60following problems is bothering you:
61
62*   You are stuck with a sub-optimal design and wish you had done more
63    prototyping before it was too late, but prototyping in C++ is by no means
64    "rapid".
65*   Your tests are slow as they depend on too many libraries or use expensive
66    resources (e.g. a database).
67*   Your tests are brittle as some resources they use are unreliable (e.g. the
68    network).
69*   You want to test how your code handles a failure (e.g. a file checksum
70    error), but it's not easy to cause one.
71*   You need to make sure that your module interacts with other modules in the
72    right way, but it's hard to observe the interaction; therefore you resort to
73    observing the side effects at the end of the action, but it's awkward at
74    best.
75*   You want to "mock out" your dependencies, except that they don't have mock
76    implementations yet; and, frankly, you aren't thrilled by some of those
77    hand-written mocks.
78
79We encourage you to use gMock as
80
81*   a *design* tool, for it lets you experiment with your interface design early
82    and often. More iterations lead to better designs!
83*   a *testing* tool to cut your tests' outbound dependencies and probe the
84    interaction between your module and its collaborators.
85
86## Getting Started
87
88gMock is bundled with googletest.
89
90## A Case for Mock Turtles
91
92Let's look at an example. Suppose you are developing a graphics program that
93relies on a [LOGO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_programming_language)-like
94API for drawing. How would you test that it does the right thing? Well, you can
95run it and compare the screen with a golden screen snapshot, but let's admit it:
96tests like this are expensive to run and fragile (What if you just upgraded to a
97shiny new graphics card that has better anti-aliasing? Suddenly you have to
98update all your golden images.). It would be too painful if all your tests are
99like this. Fortunately, you learned about
100[Dependency Injection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency_injection) and know the right thing
101to do: instead of having your application talk to the system API directly, wrap
102the API in an interface (say, `Turtle`) and code to that interface:
103
104```cpp
105class Turtle {
106  ...
107  virtual ~Turtle() {}
108  virtual void PenUp() = 0;
109  virtual void PenDown() = 0;
110  virtual void Forward(int distance) = 0;
111  virtual void Turn(int degrees) = 0;
112  virtual void GoTo(int x, int y) = 0;
113  virtual int GetX() const = 0;
114  virtual int GetY() const = 0;
115};
116```
117
118(Note that the destructor of `Turtle` **must** be virtual, as is the case for
119**all** classes you intend to inherit from - otherwise the destructor of the
120derived class will not be called when you delete an object through a base
121pointer, and you'll get corrupted program states like memory leaks.)
122
123You can control whether the turtle's movement will leave a trace using `PenUp()`
124and `PenDown()`, and control its movement using `Forward()`, `Turn()`, and
125`GoTo()`. Finally, `GetX()` and `GetY()` tell you the current position of the
126turtle.
127
128Your program will normally use a real implementation of this interface. In
129tests, you can use a mock implementation instead. This allows you to easily
130check what drawing primitives your program is calling, with what arguments, and
131in which order. Tests written this way are much more robust (they won't break
132because your new machine does anti-aliasing differently), easier to read and
133maintain (the intent of a test is expressed in the code, not in some binary
134images), and run *much, much faster*.
135
136## Writing the Mock Class
137
138If you are lucky, the mocks you need to use have already been implemented by
139some nice people. If, however, you find yourself in the position to write a mock
140class, relax - gMock turns this task into a fun game! (Well, almost.)
141
142### How to Define It
143
144Using the `Turtle` interface as example, here are the simple steps you need to
145follow:
146
147*   Derive a class `MockTurtle` from `Turtle`.
148*   Take a *virtual* function of `Turtle` (while it's possible to
149    [mock non-virtual methods using templates](gmock_cook_book.md#MockingNonVirtualMethods),
150    it's much more involved).
151*   In the `public:` section of the child class, write `MOCK_METHOD();`
152*   Now comes the fun part: you take the function signature, cut-and-paste it
153    into the macro, and add two commas - one between the return type and the
154    name, another between the name and the argument list.
155*   If you're mocking a const method, add a 4th parameter containing `(const)`
156    (the parentheses are required).
157*   Since you're overriding a virtual method, we suggest adding the `override`
158    keyword. For const methods the 4th parameter becomes `(const, override)`,
159    for non-const methods just `(override)`. This isn't mandatory.
160*   Repeat until all virtual functions you want to mock are done. (It goes
161    without saying that *all* pure virtual methods in your abstract class must
162    be either mocked or overridden.)
163
164After the process, you should have something like:
165
166```cpp
167#include <gmock/gmock.h>  // Brings in gMock.
168
169class MockTurtle : public Turtle {
170 public:
171  ...
172  MOCK_METHOD(void, PenUp, (), (override));
173  MOCK_METHOD(void, PenDown, (), (override));
174  MOCK_METHOD(void, Forward, (int distance), (override));
175  MOCK_METHOD(void, Turn, (int degrees), (override));
176  MOCK_METHOD(void, GoTo, (int x, int y), (override));
177  MOCK_METHOD(int, GetX, (), (const, override));
178  MOCK_METHOD(int, GetY, (), (const, override));
179};
180```
181
182You don't need to define these mock methods somewhere else - the `MOCK_METHOD`
183macro will generate the definitions for you. It's that simple!
184
185### Where to Put It
186
187When you define a mock class, you need to decide where to put its definition.
188Some people put it in a `_test.cc`. This is fine when the interface being mocked
189(say, `Foo`) is owned by the same person or team. Otherwise, when the owner of
190`Foo` changes it, your test could break. (You can't really expect `Foo`'s
191maintainer to fix every test that uses `Foo`, can you?)
192
193Generally, you should not mock classes you don't own. If you must mock such a
194class owned by others, define the mock class in `Foo`'s Bazel package (usually
195the same directory or a `testing` sub-directory), and put it in a `.h` and a
196`cc_library` with `testonly=True`. Then everyone can reference them from their
197tests. If `Foo` ever changes, there is only one copy of `MockFoo` to change, and
198only tests that depend on the changed methods need to be fixed.
199
200Another way to do it: you can introduce a thin layer `FooAdaptor` on top of
201`Foo` and code to this new interface. Since you own `FooAdaptor`, you can absorb
202changes in `Foo` much more easily. While this is more work initially, carefully
203choosing the adaptor interface can make your code easier to write and more
204readable (a net win in the long run), as you can choose `FooAdaptor` to fit your
205specific domain much better than `Foo` does.
206
207## Using Mocks in Tests
208
209Once you have a mock class, using it is easy. The typical work flow is:
210
2111.  Import the gMock names from the `testing` namespace such that you can use
212    them unqualified (You only have to do it once per file). Remember that
213    namespaces are a good idea.
2142.  Create some mock objects.
2153.  Specify your expectations on them (How many times will a method be called?
216    With what arguments? What should it do? etc.).
2174.  Exercise some code that uses the mocks; optionally, check the result using
218    googletest assertions. If a mock method is called more than expected or with
219    wrong arguments, you'll get an error immediately.
2205.  When a mock is destructed, gMock will automatically check whether all
221    expectations on it have been satisfied.
222
223Here's an example:
224
225```cpp
226#include "path/to/mock-turtle.h"
227#include <gmock/gmock.h>
228#include <gtest/gtest.h>
229
230using ::testing::AtLeast;                         // #1
231
232TEST(PainterTest, CanDrawSomething) {
233  MockTurtle turtle;                              // #2
234  EXPECT_CALL(turtle, PenDown())                  // #3
235      .Times(AtLeast(1));
236
237  Painter painter(&turtle);                       // #4
238
239  EXPECT_TRUE(painter.DrawCircle(0, 0, 10));      // #5
240}
241```
242
243As you might have guessed, this test checks that `PenDown()` is called at least
244once. If the `painter` object didn't call this method, your test will fail with
245a message like this:
246
247```text
248path/to/my_test.cc:119: Failure
249Actual function call count doesn't match this expectation:
250Actually: never called;
251Expected: called at least once.
252Stack trace:
253...
254```
255
256**Tip 1:** If you run the test from an Emacs buffer, you can hit `<Enter>` on
257the line number to jump right to the failed expectation.
258
259**Tip 2:** If your mock objects are never deleted, the final verification won't
260happen. Therefore it's a good idea to turn on the heap checker in your tests
261when you allocate mocks on the heap. You get that automatically if you use the
262`gtest_main` library already.
263
264###### Expectation Ordering
265
266**Important note:** gMock requires expectations to be set **before** the mock
267functions are called, otherwise the behavior is **undefined**. Do not alternate
268between calls to `EXPECT_CALL()` and calls to the mock functions, and do not set
269any expectations on a mock after passing the mock to an API.
270
271This means `EXPECT_CALL()` should be read as expecting that a call will occur
272*in the future*, not that a call has occurred. Why does gMock work like that?
273Well, specifying the expectation beforehand allows gMock to report a violation
274as soon as it rises, when the context (stack trace, etc) is still available.
275This makes debugging much easier.
276
277Admittedly, this test is contrived and doesn't do much. You can easily achieve
278the same effect without using gMock. However, as we shall reveal soon, gMock
279allows you to do *so much more* with the mocks.
280
281## Setting Expectations
282
283The key to using a mock object successfully is to set the *right expectations*
284on it. If you set the expectations too strict, your test will fail as the result
285of unrelated changes. If you set them too loose, bugs can slip through. You want
286to do it just right such that your test can catch exactly the kind of bugs you
287intend it to catch. gMock provides the necessary means for you to do it "just
288right."
289
290### General Syntax
291
292In gMock we use the `EXPECT_CALL()` macro to set an expectation on a mock
293method. The general syntax is:
294
295```cpp
296EXPECT_CALL(mock_object, method(matchers))
297    .Times(cardinality)
298    .WillOnce(action)
299    .WillRepeatedly(action);
300```
301
302The macro has two arguments: first the mock object, and then the method and its
303arguments. Note that the two are separated by a comma (`,`), not a period (`.`).
304(Why using a comma? The answer is that it was necessary for technical reasons.)
305If the method is not overloaded, the macro can also be called without matchers:
306
307```cpp
308EXPECT_CALL(mock_object, non-overloaded-method)
309    .Times(cardinality)
310    .WillOnce(action)
311    .WillRepeatedly(action);
312```
313
314This syntax allows the test writer to specify "called with any arguments"
315without explicitly specifying the number or types of arguments. To avoid
316unintended ambiguity, this syntax may only be used for methods that are not
317overloaded.
318
319Either form of the macro can be followed by some optional *clauses* that provide
320more information about the expectation. We'll discuss how each clause works in
321the coming sections.
322
323This syntax is designed to make an expectation read like English. For example,
324you can probably guess that
325
326```cpp
327using ::testing::Return;
328...
329EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
330    .Times(5)
331    .WillOnce(Return(100))
332    .WillOnce(Return(150))
333    .WillRepeatedly(Return(200));
334```
335
336says that the `turtle` object's `GetX()` method will be called five times, it
337will return 100 the first time, 150 the second time, and then 200 every time.
338Some people like to call this style of syntax a Domain-Specific Language (DSL).
339
340{: .callout .note}
341**Note:** Why do we use a macro to do this? Well it serves two purposes: first
342it makes expectations easily identifiable (either by `grep` or by a human
343reader), and second it allows gMock to include the source file location of a
344failed expectation in messages, making debugging easier.
345
346### Matchers: What Arguments Do We Expect?
347
348When a mock function takes arguments, we may specify what arguments we are
349expecting, for example:
350
351```cpp
352// Expects the turtle to move forward by 100 units.
353EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(100));
354```
355
356Oftentimes you do not want to be too specific. Remember that talk about tests
357being too rigid? Over specification leads to brittle tests and obscures the
358intent of tests. Therefore we encourage you to specify only what's necessary—no
359more, no less. If you aren't interested in the value of an argument, write `_`
360as the argument, which means "anything goes":
361
362```cpp
363using ::testing::_;
364...
365// Expects that the turtle jumps to somewhere on the x=50 line.
366EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo(50, _));
367```
368
369`_` is an instance of what we call **matchers**. A matcher is like a predicate
370and can test whether an argument is what we'd expect. You can use a matcher
371inside `EXPECT_CALL()` wherever a function argument is expected. `_` is a
372convenient way of saying "any value".
373
374In the above examples, `100` and `50` are also matchers; implicitly, they are
375the same as `Eq(100)` and `Eq(50)`, which specify that the argument must be
376equal (using `operator==`) to the matcher argument. There are many
377[built-in matchers](reference/matchers.md) for common types (as well as
378[custom matchers](gmock_cook_book.md#NewMatchers)); for example:
379
380```cpp
381using ::testing::Ge;
382...
383// Expects the turtle moves forward by at least 100.
384EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(Ge(100)));
385```
386
387If you don't care about *any* arguments, rather than specify `_` for each of
388them you may instead omit the parameter list:
389
390```cpp
391// Expects the turtle to move forward.
392EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward);
393// Expects the turtle to jump somewhere.
394EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo);
395```
396
397This works for all non-overloaded methods; if a method is overloaded, you need
398to help gMock resolve which overload is expected by specifying the number of
399arguments and possibly also the
400[types of the arguments](gmock_cook_book.md#SelectOverload).
401
402### Cardinalities: How Many Times Will It Be Called?
403
404The first clause we can specify following an `EXPECT_CALL()` is `Times()`. We
405call its argument a **cardinality** as it tells *how many times* the call should
406occur. It allows us to repeat an expectation many times without actually writing
407it as many times. More importantly, a cardinality can be "fuzzy", just like a
408matcher can be. This allows a user to express the intent of a test exactly.
409
410An interesting special case is when we say `Times(0)`. You may have guessed - it
411means that the function shouldn't be called with the given arguments at all, and
412gMock will report a googletest failure whenever the function is (wrongfully)
413called.
414
415We've seen `AtLeast(n)` as an example of fuzzy cardinalities earlier. For the
416list of built-in cardinalities you can use, see
417[here](gmock_cheat_sheet.md#CardinalityList).
418
419The `Times()` clause can be omitted. **If you omit `Times()`, gMock will infer
420the cardinality for you.** The rules are easy to remember:
421
422*   If **neither** `WillOnce()` **nor** `WillRepeatedly()` is in the
423    `EXPECT_CALL()`, the inferred cardinality is `Times(1)`.
424*   If there are *n* `WillOnce()`'s but **no** `WillRepeatedly()`, where *n* >=
425    1, the cardinality is `Times(n)`.
426*   If there are *n* `WillOnce()`'s and **one** `WillRepeatedly()`, where *n* >=
427    0, the cardinality is `Times(AtLeast(n))`.
428
429**Quick quiz:** what do you think will happen if a function is expected to be
430called twice but actually called four times?
431
432### Actions: What Should It Do?
433
434Remember that a mock object doesn't really have a working implementation? We as
435users have to tell it what to do when a method is invoked. This is easy in
436gMock.
437
438First, if the return type of a mock function is a built-in type or a pointer,
439the function has a **default action** (a `void` function will just return, a
440`bool` function will return `false`, and other functions will return 0). In
441addition, in C++ 11 and above, a mock function whose return type is
442default-constructible (i.e. has a default constructor) has a default action of
443returning a default-constructed value. If you don't say anything, this behavior
444will be used.
445
446Second, if a mock function doesn't have a default action, or the default action
447doesn't suit you, you can specify the action to be taken each time the
448expectation matches using a series of `WillOnce()` clauses followed by an
449optional `WillRepeatedly()`. For example,
450
451```cpp
452using ::testing::Return;
453...
454EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
455     .WillOnce(Return(100))
456     .WillOnce(Return(200))
457     .WillOnce(Return(300));
458```
459
460says that `turtle.GetX()` will be called *exactly three times* (gMock inferred
461this from how many `WillOnce()` clauses we've written, since we didn't
462explicitly write `Times()`), and will return 100, 200, and 300 respectively.
463
464```cpp
465using ::testing::Return;
466...
467EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetY())
468     .WillOnce(Return(100))
469     .WillOnce(Return(200))
470     .WillRepeatedly(Return(300));
471```
472
473says that `turtle.GetY()` will be called *at least twice* (gMock knows this as
474we've written two `WillOnce()` clauses and a `WillRepeatedly()` while having no
475explicit `Times()`), will return 100 and 200 respectively the first two times,
476and 300 from the third time on.
477
478Of course, if you explicitly write a `Times()`, gMock will not try to infer the
479cardinality itself. What if the number you specified is larger than there are
480`WillOnce()` clauses? Well, after all `WillOnce()`s are used up, gMock will do
481the *default* action for the function every time (unless, of course, you have a
482`WillRepeatedly()`.).
483
484What can we do inside `WillOnce()` besides `Return()`? You can return a
485reference using `ReturnRef(`*`variable`*`)`, or invoke a pre-defined function,
486among [others](gmock_cook_book.md#using-actions).
487
488**Important note:** The `EXPECT_CALL()` statement evaluates the action clause
489only once, even though the action may be performed many times. Therefore you
490must be careful about side effects. The following may not do what you want:
491
492```cpp
493using ::testing::Return;
494...
495int n = 100;
496EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
497    .Times(4)
498    .WillRepeatedly(Return(n++));
499```
500
501Instead of returning 100, 101, 102, ..., consecutively, this mock function will
502always return 100 as `n++` is only evaluated once. Similarly, `Return(new Foo)`
503will create a new `Foo` object when the `EXPECT_CALL()` is executed, and will
504return the same pointer every time. If you want the side effect to happen every
505time, you need to define a custom action, which we'll teach in the
506[cook book](gmock_cook_book.md).
507
508Time for another quiz! What do you think the following means?
509
510```cpp
511using ::testing::Return;
512...
513EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetY())
514    .Times(4)
515    .WillOnce(Return(100));
516```
517
518Obviously `turtle.GetY()` is expected to be called four times. But if you think
519it will return 100 every time, think twice! Remember that one `WillOnce()`
520clause will be consumed each time the function is invoked and the default action
521will be taken afterwards. So the right answer is that `turtle.GetY()` will
522return 100 the first time, but **return 0 from the second time on**, as
523returning 0 is the default action for `int` functions.
524
525### Using Multiple Expectations {#MultiExpectations}
526
527So far we've only shown examples where you have a single expectation. More
528realistically, you'll specify expectations on multiple mock methods which may be
529from multiple mock objects.
530
531By default, when a mock method is invoked, gMock will search the expectations in
532the **reverse order** they are defined, and stop when an active expectation that
533matches the arguments is found (you can think of it as "newer rules override
534older ones."). If the matching expectation cannot take any more calls, you will
535get an upper-bound-violated failure. Here's an example:
536
537```cpp
538using ::testing::_;
539...
540EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(_));  // #1
541EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(10))  // #2
542    .Times(2);
543```
544
545If `Forward(10)` is called three times in a row, the third time it will be an
546error, as the last matching expectation (#2) has been saturated. If, however,
547the third `Forward(10)` call is replaced by `Forward(20)`, then it would be OK,
548as now #1 will be the matching expectation.
549
550{: .callout .note}
551**Note:** Why does gMock search for a match in the *reverse* order of the
552expectations? The reason is that this allows a user to set up the default
553expectations in a mock object's constructor or the test fixture's set-up phase
554and then customize the mock by writing more specific expectations in the test
555body. So, if you have two expectations on the same method, you want to put the
556one with more specific matchers **after** the other, or the more specific rule
557would be shadowed by the more general one that comes after it.
558
559{: .callout .tip}
560**Tip:** It is very common to start with a catch-all expectation for a method
561and `Times(AnyNumber())` (omitting arguments, or with `_` for all arguments, if
562overloaded). This makes any calls to the method expected. This is not necessary
563for methods that are not mentioned at all (these are "uninteresting"), but is
564useful for methods that have some expectations, but for which other calls are
565ok. See
566[Understanding Uninteresting vs Unexpected Calls](gmock_cook_book.md#uninteresting-vs-unexpected).
567
568### Ordered vs Unordered Calls {#OrderedCalls}
569
570By default, an expectation can match a call even though an earlier expectation
571hasn't been satisfied. In other words, the calls don't have to occur in the
572order the expectations are specified.
573
574Sometimes, you may want all the expected calls to occur in a strict order. To
575say this in gMock is easy:
576
577```cpp
578using ::testing::InSequence;
579...
580TEST(FooTest, DrawsLineSegment) {
581  ...
582  {
583    InSequence seq;
584
585    EXPECT_CALL(turtle, PenDown());
586    EXPECT_CALL(turtle, Forward(100));
587    EXPECT_CALL(turtle, PenUp());
588  }
589  Foo();
590}
591```
592
593By creating an object of type `InSequence`, all expectations in its scope are
594put into a *sequence* and have to occur *sequentially*. Since we are just
595relying on the constructor and destructor of this object to do the actual work,
596its name is really irrelevant.
597
598In this example, we test that `Foo()` calls the three expected functions in the
599order as written. If a call is made out-of-order, it will be an error.
600
601(What if you care about the relative order of some of the calls, but not all of
602them? Can you specify an arbitrary partial order? The answer is ... yes! The
603details can be found [here](gmock_cook_book.md#OrderedCalls).)
604
605### All Expectations Are Sticky (Unless Said Otherwise) {#StickyExpectations}
606
607Now let's do a quick quiz to see how well you can use this mock stuff already.
608How would you test that the turtle is asked to go to the origin *exactly twice*
609(you want to ignore any other instructions it receives)?
610
611After you've come up with your answer, take a look at ours and compare notes
612(solve it yourself first - don't cheat!):
613
614```cpp
615using ::testing::_;
616using ::testing::AnyNumber;
617...
618EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo(_, _))  // #1
619     .Times(AnyNumber());
620EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GoTo(0, 0))  // #2
621     .Times(2);
622```
623
624Suppose `turtle.GoTo(0, 0)` is called three times. In the third time, gMock will
625see that the arguments match expectation #2 (remember that we always pick the
626last matching expectation). Now, since we said that there should be only two
627such calls, gMock will report an error immediately. This is basically what we've
628told you in the [Using Multiple Expectations](#MultiExpectations) section above.
629
630This example shows that **expectations in gMock are "sticky" by default**, in
631the sense that they remain active even after we have reached their invocation
632upper bounds. This is an important rule to remember, as it affects the meaning
633of the spec, and is **different** to how it's done in many other mocking
634frameworks (Why'd we do that? Because we think our rule makes the common cases
635easier to express and understand.).
636
637Simple? Let's see if you've really understood it: what does the following code
638say?
639
640```cpp
641using ::testing::Return;
642...
643for (int i = n; i > 0; i--) {
644  EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
645      .WillOnce(Return(10*i));
646}
647```
648
649If you think it says that `turtle.GetX()` will be called `n` times and will
650return 10, 20, 30, ..., consecutively, think twice! The problem is that, as we
651said, expectations are sticky. So, the second time `turtle.GetX()` is called,
652the last (latest) `EXPECT_CALL()` statement will match, and will immediately
653lead to an "upper bound violated" error - this piece of code is not very useful!
654
655One correct way of saying that `turtle.GetX()` will return 10, 20, 30, ..., is
656to explicitly say that the expectations are *not* sticky. In other words, they
657should *retire* as soon as they are saturated:
658
659```cpp
660using ::testing::Return;
661...
662for (int i = n; i > 0; i--) {
663  EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
664      .WillOnce(Return(10*i))
665      .RetiresOnSaturation();
666}
667```
668
669And, there's a better way to do it: in this case, we expect the calls to occur
670in a specific order, and we line up the actions to match the order. Since the
671order is important here, we should make it explicit using a sequence:
672
673```cpp
674using ::testing::InSequence;
675using ::testing::Return;
676...
677{
678  InSequence s;
679
680  for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
681    EXPECT_CALL(turtle, GetX())
682        .WillOnce(Return(10*i))
683        .RetiresOnSaturation();
684  }
685}
686```
687
688By the way, the other situation where an expectation may *not* be sticky is when
689it's in a sequence - as soon as another expectation that comes after it in the
690sequence has been used, it automatically retires (and will never be used to
691match any call).
692
693### Uninteresting Calls
694
695A mock object may have many methods, and not all of them are that interesting.
696For example, in some tests we may not care about how many times `GetX()` and
697`GetY()` get called.
698
699In gMock, if you are not interested in a method, just don't say anything about
700it. If a call to this method occurs, you'll see a warning in the test output,
701but it won't be a failure. This is called "naggy" behavior; to change, see
702[The Nice, the Strict, and the Naggy](gmock_cook_book.md#NiceStrictNaggy).
703