Path matcher does not generate correct pact file

[pact-foundation]

Path matcher does not generate correct pact file

[bethesque]

Yup.

"path": {
      "json_class": "Pact::Term",
      "data": {
        "generate": "/alligators/1234",
        "matcher": {"json_class":"Regexp","o":0,"s":"^\\/alligators\\/[0-9]{4}"}
      }
    }

This code says: when I verify the request on the provider side, I want to use the path /alligators/1234, but in my consumer code, I want the mock service to respond to a request for any alligator with this response.

[bethesque]

Yup, that's because it's not needed on the provider side. You need a concrete path when verifying on the provider side. The matcher is only relevant for the consumer side matching.

[andrewspinks]

OK, thanks for the clarification Beth. Let me go back to trying to understand the use case for using a path matcher...

[mefellows]

For posterity, as I understand it, the path matcher is useful on the consumer side where dynamic values might be created from the collaborating client code, perhaps without control over the resources it wants to access e.g. GET /users/1234 or GET /articles/<todays date> etc. As Beth explains, this is only relevant on the consumer side and thus is not required to be in the pact file itself.