Testing Tool (Specification)

Main functionalities

Add unit/system level tests

Semantically there is no difference between unit tests and system level tests. This way all tests can be written in Eiffel in a conforming way.

A test is a routine having the prefix test in a class inheriting from TEST_SET. In general features in classes specifically used for testing should be exported at most to {TESTING_CLASS}. This is to prevent testing code from remaining in a finalized system. If you write a helper class for your test routines, let it inherit from TESTING_CLASS (Note: TEST_SET already inherits from TESTING_CLASS). Additionally you should make leaf test sets frozen and make sure you never directly reference testing classes in your project code.

System level test specifics

Since system level testing often relies on external items like files, SYSTEM_LEVEL_TEST_SET provides a number of helper routines accessing them.

Config file

For each target in a configuration file you may define a testing folder in which test classes, but also other files needed for testing can be put there.

Note: special testing folder is needed when automatically creating new test cases. Also system level tests rely on a location for files etc...

Additional information

The indexing clause can be used to specify which classes and routines are tested by the test routine. Any specifications in the class indexing clause will apply to all tests in that class. Note testing_covers in the following examples.

Examples

Example unit tests test_append and test_boolean

frozen class TEST_STRING
 
inherit
 
    TEST_SET
        redefine
            set_up
        end
 
feature {NONE} -- Initialization
 
    set_up
        do
            create s.make (10)
        end
 
feature {TESTING_CLASS} -- Access
 
    s: STRING
 
feature {TESTING_CLASS} -- Test routines
 
    test_append
        indexing
            testing_covers: "{STRING}.append"
        require
            set_up: s /= Void and then s.is_empty
        do
            s.append ("12345")
            assert_string_equality ("append", s, "12345")
        end
 
    test_boolean
        indexing
            testing_covers: "{STRING}.is_boolean, {STRING}.to_boolean"
        require
            set_up: s /= Void and then s.is_empty
        do
            s.append ("True")
            assert_true ("boolean", s.is_boolean and then s.to_boolean)
        end
 
end

Example system level test test_version (Note: SYSTEM_LEVEL_TEST_SET inherits from TEST_SET and provides basic functionality for executing external commands, including the system currently under development):

indexing
    testing_covers: "all"
 
frozen class TEST_MY_APP
 
inherit
 
    SYSTEM_LEVEL_TEST_SET
 
feature {TESTING_CLASS} -- Test routines
 
    test_version
        do
            run_system_with_args ("--version")
            assert_string_equality ("version", last_output, "my_app version 0.1")
        end
 
end

Manage and run test suite

This is what a screen shot of the above example could look like:

Generate tests automatically

Turn any failed execution into a test

Background test execution

Open questions

(This section should disappear as the questions get answered.)

See also

• Testing Tool (Architecture)
• Eweasel
• CddBranch
• Eiffel Testing Tool