<p align="center">
    <img src="doc/img/nelmio.png" width=300 />
</p>

<h1 align=center>Alice - Expressive fixtures generator</h1>

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Relying on [fzaninotto/Faker](https://github.com/fzaninotto/Faker), Alice
allows you to create a ton of fixtures/fake data for use while developing
or testing your project. It gives you a few essential tools to make it
very easy to generate complex data with constraints in a readable and easy
to edit way, so that everyone on your team can tweak the fixtures if needed.

**Warning: this doc is for alice 3.0. If you want to check the documentation
for 2.x, head [here](https://github.com/nelmio/alice/tree/2.x)**.

**2.x is in maintenance mode: PRs are accepted, but no active development is done on it by the maintainers any longer.**


## Table of Contents

1. [Installation](#installation)
1. [Example](#example)
1. [Getting Started](doc/getting-started.md)
    1. [Basic Usage](doc/getting-started.md#basic-usage)
    1. [Framework integration](doc/getting-started.md#framework-integration)
        1. [Symfony](doc/getting-started.md#symfony)
1. [Complete Reference](doc/complete-reference.md)
    1. [Creating Fixtures](doc/complete-reference.md#creating-fixtures)
        1. [YAML](doc/complete-reference.md#yaml)
        1. [PHP](doc/complete-reference.md#php)
    1. [Fixture Ranges](doc/complete-reference.md#fixture-ranges)
    1. [Calling Methods](doc/complete-reference.md#calling-methods)
        1. [Method arguments with flags](doc/complete-reference.md#method-arguments-with-flags)
        1. [Method arguments with parameters](doc/complete-reference.md#method-arguments-with-parameters)
    1. [Specifying Constructor Arguments](doc/complete-reference.md#specifying-constructor-arguments)
    1. [Using a factory / a named constructor](doc/complete-reference.md#using-a-factory--a-named-constructor)
    1. [Optional Data](doc/complete-reference.md#optional-data)
    1. [Handling Unique Constraints](doc/complete-reference.md#handling-unique-constraints)
1. [Handling Relations](doc/relations-handling.md)
    1. [References](doc/relations-handling.md#references)
    1. [Multiple References](doc/relations-handling.md#multiple-references)
    1. [Self reference](doc/relations-handling.md#self-reference)
    1. [Passing references to providers](doc/relations-handling.md#passing-references-to-providers)
1. [Keep Your Fixtures Dry](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md)
    1. [Fixture Inheritance](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#fixture-inheritance)
    1. [Including files](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#including-files)
    1. [Variables](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#variables)
    1. [Parameters](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#parameters)
        1. [Static parameters](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#static-parameters)
        1. [Dynamic parameters](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#dynamic-parameters)
        1. [Composite parameters](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#composite-parameters)
        1. [Usage with functions (constructor included)](doc/fixtures-refactoring.md#usage-with-functions-constructor-included)
        1. [Inject external parameters](#inject-external-parameters)
1. [Customize Data Generation](doc/customizing-data-generation.md)
    1. [Faker Data](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#faker-data)
        1. [Localized Fake Data](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#localized-fake-data)
        1. [Random data](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#random-data)
        1. [Default Providers](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#default-providers)
            1. [Identity](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#identity)
            1. [Current](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#current)
            1. [Cast](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#cast)
    1. [Custom Faker Data Providers](doc/customizing-data-generation.md#custom-faker-data-providers)
1. [Advanced Guide](doc/advanced-guide.md#advanced-guide)
    1. [Performance](doc/advanced-guide.md#performance)
    1. [Expression Language (DSL)](doc/advanced-guide.md#expression-language-dsl)
        1. [Parameters](doc/advanced-guide.md#parameters)
        1. [Functions](doc/advanced-guide.md#functions)
        1. [Identity](doc/advanced-guide.md#identity)
        1. [Arrays](doc/advanced-guide.md#arrays)
        1. [Optional](doc/advanced-guide.md#optional)
        1. [References](doc/advanced-guide.md#references)
        1. [Property Reference](doc/advanced-guide.md#property-reference)
    1. [Extending Alice](doc/advanced-guide.md#extending-alice)
        1. [Custom Flag](doc/advanced-guide.md#custom-flag)
        1. [Custom Instantiation](doc/advanced-guide.md#custom-instantiator)
        1. [Custom Accessor](doc/advanced-guide.md#custom-accessor)
1. [Third-party libraries](#third-party-libraries)
    1. [Symfony](#symfony)
    1. [Nette](#nette)
    1. [Zend Framework 2](#zend-framework-2)
    1. [Framework Agnostic](#framework-agnostic)
1. [Contribute](CONTRIBUTING.md#contribute)
    1. [Differences between 2.x and 3.x](CONTRIBUTING.md#differences-between-2x-and-3x)
    1. [Architecture](CONTRIBUTING.md#architecture)
        1. [FixtureBuilder](CONTRIBUTING.md#fixturebuilder)
        1. [Generator](CONTRIBUTING.md#generator)
    1. [Expression Language](CONTRIBUTING.md#expression-language)
    1. [Contributing](CONTRIBUTING.md#contributing)
        1. [Testing](CONTRIBUTING.md#testing)
        1. [Profiling](CONTRIBUTING.md#profiling)
1. [Backward Compatibility Promise (BCP)](#backward-compatibility-promise-bcp)
1. [Upgrade](#upgrade)
    1. [Breaking changes between Alice 2.x and 3.0](UPGRADE.md#breaking-changes-between-alice-2x-and-30)

Other references:
  - [Tutorial: Using Alice in Symfony](https://knpuniversity.com/screencast/symfony-doctrine/fixtures-alice)


## Installation

This is installable via [Composer](https://getcomposer.org/) as
[nelmio/alice](https://packagist.org/packages/nelmio/alice):

    composer require --dev nelmio/alice


## Example

Here is a complete example of entity declaration:

```yaml
Nelmio\Entity\User:
    user{1..10}:
        username: '<username()>'
        fullname: '<firstName()> <lastName()>'
        birthDate: '<date_create()>'
        email: '<email()>'
        favoriteNumber: '50%? <numberBetween(1, 200)>'

Nelmio\Entity\Group:
    group1:
        name: Admins
        owner: '@user1'
        members: '<numberBetween(1, 10)>x @user*'
        created: '<dateTimeBetween("-200 days", "now")>'
        updated: '<dateTimeBetween($created, "now")>'
```

You can then load them easily with:

```php
$loader = new Nelmio\Alice\Loader\NativeLoader();
$objectSet = $loader->loadFile(__DIR__.'/fixtures.yml');
```

Or load an array right away:

```php
$loader = new Nelmio\Alice\Loader\NativeLoader();
$objectSet = $loader->loadData([
    \Nelmio\Entity\User::class => [
        'user{1..10}' => [
            'username' => '<username()>',
            'fullname' => '<firstName()> <lastName()>',
            'birthDate' => '<date_create()>',
            'email' => '<email()>',
            'favoriteNumber' => '50%? <numberBetween(1, 200)>',
        ],
    ],
    \Nelmio\Entity\Group::class => [
        'group1' => [
            'name' => Admins,
            'owner' => '@user1',
            'members' => '<numberBetween(1, 10)>x @user*',
            'created' => '<dateTimeBetween("-200 days", "now")>',
            'updated' => '<dateTimeBetween($created, "now")>',
        ],
    ],
]);
```

For more information, refer to [the documentation](#table-of-contents).


## Third-party libraries

### Framework Agnostic

- [theofidry/AliceDataFixtures](https://github.com/theofidry/AliceDataFixtures)
- [trappar/AliceGenerator](https://github.com/trappar/AliceGenerator)

### Symfony

- [hautelook/AliceBundle](https://github.com/hautelook/AliceBundle)
- [h4cc/AliceFixturesBundle](https://github.com/h4cc/AliceFixturesBundle)
- [knplabs/rad-fixtures-load](https://github.com/KnpLabs/rad-fixtures-load)


### Nette

-  [Zenify/DoctrineFixtures](https://github.com/Zenify/DoctrineFixtures)

### Zend Framework 2:

- [ma-si/aist-alice-fixtures](https://github.com/ma-si/aist-alice-fixtures)


## Contribute

Check the [contribution guide](CONTRIBUTING.md).


## Backward Compatibility Promise (BCP)

The policy is for the major part following the same as [Symfony's one][symfony-bc-policy] with a few changes or
highlights:

- Code marked with `@private` or `@internal` are excluded from the BCP
- `Nelmio\Alice\Loader\NativeLoader` is excluded from the BCP: as it is the no DIC solution, registring a new service
  may require a new method, in which case your code may break if you have already declared that method. To avoid that,
  please beware of the naming of your methods to avoid any conflicts.


## Upgrade

Check the [upgrade guide](UPGRADE.md).


[symfony-bc-policy]: https://symfony.com/doc/current/contributing/code/bc.html
