JsonPath config for MockMvc

Question

JsonPath itself can be configured like this

import com.jayway.jsonpath.Configuration;
import com.jayway.jsonpath.JsonPath;
import com.jayway.jsonpath.Option;

// ...

Configuration configuration = Configuration
    .builder()
    .options(Option.REQUIRE_PROPERTIES)
    .build();

JsonPath
    .using(configuration)
    .parse(someJson)
    .read("$.*.bar");

The example above enables Option.REQUIRE_PROPERTIES configuration option, so it will throw an exception if path does not exist.

How to configure the same thing for jsonPath used by MockMvc in a spring boot project?

import org.springframework.test.web.servlet.MockMvc;
import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.result.MockMvcResultMatchers.jsonPath;

// ...

mockMvc
    .perform(get("/test"))
    .andExpect(status().isOk())
    .andExpect(jsonPath("$.*.bar").isEmpty())  // How to configure this 'jsonPath'?

---

Update

See the following example:

Input

[
  {"animal": "cat", "meow": true},
  {"animal": "cat", "meow": true},
  {"animal": "cat", "bark": true}
]

Expression

jsonPath("$.[?(@.animal == 'cat')].meow").value(everyItem(equalTo(true))

This produces a "false positive" test result. How I could write the json path expression, as I expect this test to produce a failed result.

Answer 1

No, unfortunately, we can't configure JSONPath that fine, in context of spring-test-mockmvc.

Proof ( https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/blob/main/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/util/JsonPathExpectationsHelper.java#L61 ):

 this.jsonPath = JsonPath.compile(this.expression);

"They" use (internally) a simpler instantiation (without configuration).

(What is wrong with isEmpty() , do you need this exception?) There are also alternative matchers like:

• doesNotExist()
• doesNotHaveJsonPath()

If we need this fine config + exact exception, we can still:

• Use JsonPath directly (/as a bean) to:
• parse (eg) from MvcResult.getResponse().getContentAsString()

@Bean
Configuration configuration()
 return Configuration
    .builder()
    .options(Option.REQUIRE_PROPERTIES)
    .build();
}

..and then:

@Autowired
Configuration config;
// ...
  MvcResult result = mockMvc
    .perform(get("/test"))
    .andExpect(status().isOk())
    .andReturn();
  // try/expect:
  JsonPath
    .using(config)
    .parse(result.getResponse().getContentAsString())
    .read("$.*.bar"); 

Refs:

• https://docs.spring.io/spring-framework/docs/current/javadoc-api/org/springframework/test/web/servlet/result/JsonPathResultMatchers.html
• https://docs.spring.io/spring-framework/docs/current/javadoc-api/org/springframework/test/web/servlet/MvcResult.html
• https://github.com/json-path/JsonPath (in-/definit)