Template Validate Command

The validate command in the smock-it Salesforce plugin validates a data template JSON file before data generation. It checks that all referenced Salesforce objects (SObjects) and fields exist and are accessible in the target Salesforce org, preventing misconfigurations and runtime errors for a smoother process.

How Does It Work?

• Reads the Template: The command loads a specified JSON template file containing SObject and field configurations.
• Connects to Salesforce: It establishes a connection to the Salesforce org using a provided user alias.
• Validates SObjects: Checks if all SObjects listed in the template exist in the org.
• Validates Fields: For each SObject, it verifies that all specified fields (including those to consider or exclude) exist and are accessible.
• Checks for Conflicts: Ensures that the same field is not present in both fieldsToConsider and fieldsToExclude.
• Reports Issues: Warns or errors out if any SObjects or fields are invalid, missing, or misconfigured.
• Success Message: If everything is valid, it confirms successful validation.

Using Validate Command

Prerequisites

• Valid Salesforce org and user alias.
• Properly formatted template JSON file.

Command Execution Format

sf smockit template validate -t <yourTemplate.json> -a <orgAliasorusername>

Flag Supported

Flag	Shorthand	Required	Description
-- templateName	-t	Yes	The name of the template JSON file to validate (with or without .json extension).
-- alias or Username	-a	Yes	The Salesforce org alias or username to use for validation.

Example: Negative Validation (Error Detection):

To demonstrate how Smock-It validates templates and detects configuration issues, the following example uses an intentionally misconfigured template. This helps illustrate how Smock-It identifies errors related to dependent picklists, invalid fields, and incorrect object relationships.

Before executing the validate command - invalid_account.json

{
  "namespaceToExclude": [],
  "outputFormat": [
    "di",
    "json"
  ],
  "count": 1,
  "sObjects": [
    {
      "Account": {
        "count": 1,
        "fieldsToConsider": {
          "State__c": [
            "India"
          ]
        },
        "fieldsToExclude": [
          "Country__c"
        ],
        "pickLeftFields": true,
        "relatedSObjects": [
          {
            "Contact": {
              "count": 1,
              "fieldsToConsider": {
                "InvalidField__c": []
              },
              "fieldsToExclude": [],
              "pickLeftFields": true
            }
          },
          {
            "Lead": {
              "count": 1,
              "fieldsToConsider": {},
              "fieldsToExclude": [],
              "pickLeftFields": true
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Executing validate command

sf smockit template validate -t invalid_account.json -a test-z1z3nrh9wmws@example.com

Validation Output (Negative Scenario)
Smock-It reports the following issues during validation:

CRITICAL LOGIC/STRUCTURAL ERRORS FOUND:

• Account:
  - Warning: Dependent field 'State__c' requires controller 'Country__c',
    but 'Country__c' is listed in fieldsToExclude.

Invalid fields found (Typos / Missing Fields):
• Account -> Contact: InvalidField__c

Invalid relationships found:
• Invalid relationship: Account -> Lead

Error:
Validation completed with errors or warnings above.

Explanation of Detected Issues

• Dependent Picklist Validation: State__c is a dependent picklist field that requires the controller field Country__c. Since Country__c is excluded, Smock-It flags this as a validation warning.
• Invalid Field Detection: The field InvalidField__c does not exist on the Contact object, and Smock-It detects it as an invalid field.
• Dependent Picklist Validation: Lead is not a valid child relationship of Account. Smock-It validates object relationships and reports this as an error.

This example demonstrates how the validate command proactively detects structural and logical issues, helping prevent runtime failures during data generation.

📘 Read More

• To create template (Template Init Command)

• To generate test data (Data Generate Command)