Builder Factory

Builder Factory Generator

Generate mimicry-js + @faker-js/faker factory builders for TypeScript types (for Vitest, Storybook, E2E, and dev seeding). This file is the API and rules; full builder examples are in the reference.

• references/field-mappings.md — field type → Faker method mappings.
• references/examples.md — complete builders: traits, postBuild, nested/deep-merge, database types, discriminated unions, composition, recursive types, seeding, withPrev, reset.

Check CLAUDE.md for the Faker locale, builder location convention, and database type patterns before generating.

Workflow

1. Find existing builders first — Glob for **/*.builder.ts and features/*/test/builders/*.ts; reuse before creating.
2. Analyze the type — fields, nested types, arrays, optional/Date/enum/union fields.
3. Place the file — feature-specific features/[feature]/test/builders/ or shared tests/builders/.
4. Name it — camelCase(TypeName) + "Builder", file kebab-case.builder.ts (UserProfile → userProfileBuilder in user-profile.builder.ts). Include JSDoc with usage examples.

Builder API

Methods — .one(options?) (single), .many(count, options?) (array), .reset() (reset sequence/unique/iterators). Options: overrides (Partial), traits (string | string[]), postBuild ((obj) => obj, per-call).

Field generators (place as field values — see placement rules):

• sequence() / sequence((n) => \prefix-${n}`)` — auto-increment.
• oneOf("a", "b") — random from options; unique([...]) — each value once, throws when exhausted.
• bool(), int(min?, max?) (default 1–1000), float(min?, max?) (default 0–1).
• withPrev((prev?) => value) — access the previous build value.
• fixed(fn) — keep a function value as-is (don't call it).
• () => value — plain function, fresh each build (replaces perBuild). Static values need no wrapper.

Deterministic random — seed(value) makes oneOf/int/float/bool reproducible; getSeed() reads it.

Features (code in examples.md)

• Traits — named variants (build({ traits: { admin: { overrides: { role: "admin" } } } })), applied via .one({ traits: "admin" }) or an array.
• postBuild — compute fields from siblings after the object is built (e.g. a total from line items).
• Nested builders — field: () => otherBuilder.one(); overrides deep-merge (patch one nested key without replacing the object).
• Database types — separate Base (no id/timestamps) and Application (id + Date timestamps) builders.

Generator Placement Rules

mimicry-js generators (oneOf, sequence, bool, int, float, unique, withPrev) are field-level descriptors resolved internally by the library. They work only when placed directly as a field value or inside a static nested object (which mimicry-js processes recursively). They do NOT work inside arrow functions — an arrow body is opaque to mimicry-js, which just calls it and expects a resolved value back.

fields: {
  role: oneOf("admin", "user"),                       // ✅ resolved by mimicry-js
  profile: () => ({ theme: oneOf("light", "dark") }), // ❌ returns a descriptor, not a value
  theme: () => faker.helpers.arrayElement(["light", "dark"]), // ✅ use Faker inside arrow functions
}

Inside an arrow function, swap each generator for its Faker equivalent:

Use arrow functions only when a fresh value is needed each .one() call (Faker data, nested builders).

Best Practices

• .many(count) for arrays — not Array.from() / [...Array(n)].map(); it supports traits/overrides and resets state correctly.
• Prefer oneOf/int/float/bool over Faker at top level — they integrate with seed().
• unique() over oneOf() when each value must be distinct (e.g. across a .many() call).
• fixed(fn) for function-typed fields (onClick, onSubmit) so mimicry-js doesn't call them.
• faker.helpers.weightedArrayElement for non-uniform distributions (Faker only).
• postBuild for computed fields; compose builders with () => otherBuilder.one() rather than deep nesting; call .reset() in beforeEach when tests depend on sequence()/unique() order.
• Always use mimicry-js (NOT test-data-bot or Fishery). sequence() for numeric ids, () => faker.string.uuid() for UUIDs.