Laravel: test response is different from real response - laravel

Question

In a Laravel9 project:
Controller.php
// /api/auth/user
public function show (Request $request) {
$user = $request->user();
$user->makeVisible(['email', 'email_verified_at', 'social']);
return $user;
}
The social is a nullable json column
$table->json('social')->nullable();
// 'social' => '{"facebook": "1234567890", "twitter": "1234567890"}
the actual HTTP response is (which I've verified in PostMan)
{
"id": 11,
"name": "Test User",
"email": "test#example.com",
"social": null,
"email_verified_at": "2022-12-27T02:50:58.000000Z",
"created_at": "2022-12-27T02:50:58.000000Z",
"updated_at": "2022-12-27T02:50:58.000000Z"
}
But in the Feature Test
tests/Feature/Auth/User/ShowTest.php
public function test_show_current_user () {
$user = User::factory()->create();
$response = $this->actingAs($user)->get($this->api);
$response
->assertStatus(200)
->assertJson([
'id' => $user->id,
'name' => $user->name,
'email' => $user->email,
'email_verified_at' => $user->email_verified_at->jsonSerialize(),
'social' => $user->social,
]);
}
This test will always fail since it can't find social in the $response
Once I dd() the $response, there is no social attribute at all:
update:
My User model (since so doesn't support <details>, I use code snippet to create a foldable code)
// the User model in Feature Test
App\Models\User^ {#4147 // tests/Feature/Auth/User/ShowTest.php
#connection: "sqlite"
#table: null
#primaryKey: "id"
#keyType: "int"
+incrementing: true
#with: []
#withCount: []
+preventsLazyLoading: false
#perPage: 15
+exists: true
+wasRecentlyCreated: true
#escapeWhenCastingToString: false
#attributes: array:8 [
"name" => "Bettie Von"
"email" => "lhermiston#example.net"
"email_verified_at" => "2022-12-27 08:51:06"
"password" => "$2y$10$92IXUNpkjO0rOQ5byMi.Ye4oKoEa3Ro9llC/.og/at2.uheWG/igi"
"remember_token" => "eMBMnyRei4"
"updated_at" => "2022-12-27 08:51:06"
"created_at" => "2022-12-27 08:51:06"
"id" => 1
]
#original: array:8 [
"name" => "Bettie Von"
"email" => "lhermiston#example.net"
"email_verified_at" => "2022-12-27 08:51:06"
"password" => "$2y$10$92IXUNpkjO0rOQ5byMi.Ye4oKoEa3Ro9llC/.og/at2.uheWG/igi"
"remember_token" => "eMBMnyRei4"
"updated_at" => "2022-12-27 08:51:06"
"created_at" => "2022-12-27 08:51:06"
"id" => 1
]
#changes: []
#casts: array:2 [
"email_verified_at" => "datetime"
"social" => "array"
]
#classCastCache: []
#attributeCastCache: []
#dates: []
#dateFormat: null
#appends: []
#dispatchesEvents: []
#observables: []
#relations: []
#touches: []
+timestamps: true
#hidden: array:2 [
0 => "password"
1 => "remember_token"
]
#visible: []
#fillable: array:4 [
0 => "name"
1 => "email"
2 => "password"
3 => "social"
]
#guarded: array:1 [
0 => "*"
]
#rememberTokenName: "remember_token"
#accessToken: null
}
Why is the $response in the feature test different from the actual HTTP response?
And how can I pass the feature test?

Answer 1

I figured it out by adding a simple $user->refresh();
$user = User::factory()
->create();
$user->refresh(); // add this
$response = $this
->actingAs($user)
->get($this->api);
Thanks a lot to #KGG, #apokryfos, and #Abdel-aziz hassan for their help.