How to use existing data from the database in Codeception FactoryMuffin? - codeception

Question

I'm trying to set up easy test data in my Acceptance tests:
public function shouldUseAFakeAccountHolder(AcceptanceTester $I) {
$I->have(AccountHolder::class);
// ...
}
I've copied the example code from the Codeception documentation and modified it with my entity names (as well as fixing the bugs).
<?php
public function _beforeSuite()
{
$factory = $this->getModule('DataFactory');
// let us get EntityManager from Doctrine
$em = $this->getModule('Doctrine2')->_getEntityManager();
$factory->_define(AccountHolder::class, [
'firstName' => Faker::firstName(),
// Comment out one of the below 'accountRole' lines before running:
// get existing data from the database
'accountRole' => $em->getRepository(AccountRole::class)->find(1),
// create a new row in the database
'accountRole' => 'entity|' . AccountRole::class,
]);
}
The relationship using existing data 'accountRole' => $em->getRepository(AccountRole::class)->find(1) always fails:
[Doctrine\ORM\ORMInvalidArgumentException] A new entity was found through the relationship 'HMRX\CoreBundle\Entity\AccountHolder#accountRole' that was not configured to cascade persist operations for entity: HMRX\CoreBundle\Entity\AccountRole#0000000062481e3f000000009cd58cbd. To solve this issue: Either explicitly call EntityManager#persist() on this unknown entity or configure cascade persist this association in the mapping for example #ManyToOne(..,cascade={"persist"}). If you cannot find out which entity causes the problem implement 'HMRX\CoreBundle\Entity\AccountRole#__toString()' to get a clue.
If I tell it to create a new entry in the related table 'accountRole' => 'entity|' . AccountRole::class, it works, but then it adds rows to the table when it should be using an existing row. All the role types are known beforehand, and a new random role type makes no sense because there's nothing in the code it could match to. Creating a duplicate role works, but again it makes so sense to have a separate role type for each user since roles should be shared by users.
I've had this error before in Unit tests, not Acceptance tests, when not using Faker / FactoryMuffin, and it's been to do with accessing each entity of the relationship with a different instance of EntityManager. As soon as I got both parts using the same instance, it worked. I don't see how to override the native behaviour here though.

Answer 1

It works (at least in Codeception 4.x) by using a callback for the existing relation:
<?php
public function _beforeSuite()
{
$factory = $this->getModule('DataFactory');
$em = $this->getModule('Doctrine2')->_getEntityManager();
$factory->_define(AccountHolder::class, [
'firstName' => Faker::firstName(),
'accountRole' => function($entity) use ($em) {
$em->getReference(AccountRole::class)->find(1);
},
]);
}
I've found it here: https://github.com/Codeception/Codeception/issues/5134#issuecomment-417453633