# The Java EE 7 Tutorial

# 35.3 The standalone Example Application

The `standalone` example application demonstrates how to create an instance of the embedded enterprise bean container in a JUnit test class and call a session bean business method. Testing the business methods of an enterprise bean in a unit test allows developers to exercise the business logic of an application separately from the other application layers, such as the presentation layer, and without having to deploy the application to a Java EE server.

The `standalone` example has two main components: `StandaloneBean`, a stateless session bean, and `StandaloneBeanTest`, a JUnit test class that acts as a client to `StandaloneBean` using the embedded container.

`StandaloneBean` is a simple session bean exposing a local, no-interface view with a single business method, `returnMessage`, which returns "Greetings!" as a `String`:

    @Stateless
    public class StandaloneBean {

        private static final String message = "Greetings!";

        public String returnMessage() {
            return message;
        }

    }

`StandaloneBeanTest` calls `StandaloneBean.returnMessage` and tests that the returned message is correct. First, an embedded container instance and initial context are created within the `setUp` method, which is annotated with `org.junit.Before` to indicate that the method should be executed before the test methods:

    @Before
    public void setUp() {
        ec = EJBContainer.createEJBContainer();
        ctx = ec.getContext();
    }

The `testReturnMessage` method, annotated with `org.junit.Test` to indicate that the method includes a unit test, obtains a reference to `StandaloneBean` through the `Context` instance, and calls `StandaloneBean.returnMessage`. The result is compared with the expected result using a JUnit assertion, `assertEquals`. If the string returned from `StandaloneBean.returnMessage` is equal to "Greetings!" the test passes:

    @Test
    public void testReturnMessage() throws Exception {
        logger.info("Testing standalone.ejb.StandaloneBean.returnMessage()");
        StandaloneBean instance = (StandaloneBean)
                ctx.lookup("java:global/classes/StandaloneBean");
        String expResult = "Greetings!";
        String result = instance.returnMessage();
        assertEquals(expResult, result);
    }

Finally, the `tearDown` method, annotated with `org.junit.After` to indicate that the method should be executed after all the unit tests have run, closes the embedded container instance:

    @After
    public void tearDown() {
        if (ec != null) {
            ec.close();
        }
    }

## 35.3.1 To Run the standalone Example Application Using NetBeans IDE

1. Make sure that GlassFish Server has been started (see Starting and Stopping GlassFish Server).

2. From the File menu, choose Open Project.

3. In the Open Project dialog box, navigate to:

       tut-install/examples/ejb

4. Select the `standalone` folder and click Open Project.

5. In the Projects tab, right-click `standalone` and select Test.

   This will execute the JUnit test class `StandaloneBeanTest`. The Output tab shows the progress of the test and the output log.

## 35.3.2 To Run the standalone Example Application Using Maven

1. Make sure that GlassFish Server has been started (see Starting and Stopping GlassFish Server).

2. In a terminal window, go to:

       tut-install/examples/ejb/standalone/

3. Enter the following command:

       mvn install

   This command compiles and packages the application into an JAR file, and executes the JUnit test class `StandaloneBeanTest`.