/laravel-testing

Factory Sequences for Varied Records

Impact: HIGH (Creates realistic varied datasets without repetitive factory calls)

Use sequence() to assign alternating or ordered attribute values when creating multiple records. This avoids creating multiple separate factory calls and makes the data pattern explicit in the test.

Bad Example

<?php

// Separate factory calls — verbose, hard to see the pattern
test('feed only shows published posts', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    Post::factory()->for($user)->create(['status' => 'published']);
    Post::factory()->for($user)->create(['status' => 'draft']);
    Post::factory()->for($user)->create(['status' => 'published']);
    Post::factory()->for($user)->create(['status' => 'archived']);

    $response = $this->actingAs($user)->getJson('/api/feed');
    $response->assertJsonCount(2, 'data');
});

// Using count() without variation — all records are identical
test('admin sees all statuses', function () {
    Post::factory()->count(5)->create(); // all have same default status
    // cannot test filtering without varied data
});

Good Example

<?php

use App\Models\User;
use App\Models\Post;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;

uses(RefreshDatabase::class);

// Alternate between values using sequence()
test('feed only shows published posts', function () {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    Post::factory()
        ->for($user)
        ->count(4)
        ->sequence(
            ['status' => 'published'],
            ['status' => 'draft'],
            ['status' => 'published'],
            ['status' => 'archived'],
        )
        ->create();

    $this->actingAs($user)
        ->getJson('/api/feed')
        ->assertJsonCount(2, 'data');
});

// Sequence with index for unique values
test('posts are ordered by creation date', function () {
    Post::factory()
        ->count(3)
        ->sequence(fn (Sequence $sequence) => [
            'title'      => "Post {$sequence->index}",
            'created_at' => now()->subDays($sequence->index),
        ])
        ->create();

    $response = $this->getJson('/api/posts?sort=newest');

    $response->assertJsonPath('data.0.title', 'Post 0'); // most recent first
});

Combining sequence with states:

<?php

use App\Models\Order;

test('order stats show correct counts by status', function () {
    Order::factory()
        ->count(6)
        ->sequence(
            ['status' => 'pending'],
            ['status' => 'processing'],
            ['status' => 'shipped'],
            ['status' => 'delivered'],
            ['status' => 'pending'],
            ['status' => 'cancelled'],
        )
        ->create();

    $this->getJson('/api/admin/order-stats')
        ->assertOk()
        ->assertJsonPath('pending', 2)
        ->assertJsonPath('shipped', 1)
        ->assertJsonPath('cancelled', 1);
});

Why It Matters

• Concise: One factory chain replaces multiple separate create() calls
• Explicit: The data pattern is visible in the test — the reader understands the scenario
• Realistic: Varied statuses, dates, and types create meaningful filtering/sorting tests

Reference: Laravel Eloquent Factories — Sequences