| 1 | Come out and Clar |
| 2 | ================= |
| 3 | |
| 4 | In Catalan, "clar" means clear, easy to perceive. Using clar will make it |
| 5 | easy to test and make clear the quality of your code. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | > _Historical note_ |
| 8 | > |
| 9 | > Originally the clar project was named "clay" because the word "test" has its |
| 10 | > roots in the latin word *"testum"*, meaning "earthen pot", and *"testa"*, |
| 11 | > meaning "piece of burned clay"? |
| 12 | > |
| 13 | > This is because historically, testing implied melting metal in a pot to |
| 14 | > check its quality. Clay is what tests are made of. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | ## Quick Usage Overview |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Clar is a minimal C unit testing framework. It's been written to replace the |
| 19 | old framework in [libgit2][libgit2], but it's both very versatile and |
| 20 | straightforward to use. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Can you count to funk? |
| 23 | |
| 24 | - **Zero: Initialize test directory** |
| 25 | |
| 26 | ~~~~ sh |
| 27 | $ mkdir tests |
| 28 | $ cp -r $CLAR_ROOT/clar* tests |
| 29 | $ cp $CLAR_ROOT/example/*.c tests |
| 30 | ~~~~ |
| 31 | |
| 32 | - **One: Write some tests** |
| 33 | |
| 34 | File: tests/adding.c: |
| 35 | |
| 36 | ~~~~ c |
| 37 | /* adding.c for the "Adding" suite */ |
| 38 | #include "clar.h" |
| 39 | |
| 40 | static int *answer; |
| 41 | |
| 42 | void test_adding__initialize(void) |
| 43 | { |
| 44 | answer = malloc(sizeof(int)); |
| 45 | cl_assert_(answer != NULL, "No memory left?"); |
| 46 | *answer = 42; |
| 47 | } |
| 48 | |
| 49 | void test_adding__cleanup(void) |
| 50 | { |
| 51 | free(answer); |
| 52 | } |
| 53 | |
| 54 | void test_adding__make_sure_math_still_works(void) |
| 55 | { |
| 56 | cl_assert_(5 > 3, "Five should probably be greater than three"); |
| 57 | cl_assert_(-5 < 2, "Negative numbers are small, I think"); |
| 58 | cl_assert_(*answer == 42, "The universe is doing OK. And the initializer too."); |
| 59 | } |
| 60 | ~~~~~ |
| 61 | |
| 62 | - **Two: Build the test executable** |
| 63 | |
| 64 | ~~~~ sh |
| 65 | $ cd tests |
| 66 | $ $CLAR_PATH/generate.py . |
| 67 | Written `clar.suite` (1 suites) |
| 68 | $ gcc -I. clar.c main.c adding.c -o testit |
| 69 | ~~~~ |
| 70 | |
| 71 | - **Funk: Funk it.** |
| 72 | |
| 73 | ~~~~ sh |
| 74 | $ ./testit |
| 75 | ~~~~ |
| 76 | |
| 77 | ## The Clar Test Suite |
| 78 | |
| 79 | Writing a test suite is pretty straightforward. Each test suite is a `*.c` |
| 80 | file with a descriptive name: this encourages modularity. |
| 81 | |
| 82 | Each test suite has optional initialize and cleanup methods. These methods |
| 83 | will be called before and after running **each** test in the suite, even if |
| 84 | such test fails. As a rule of thumb, if a test needs a different initializer |
| 85 | or cleanup method than another test in the same module, that means it |
| 86 | doesn't belong in that module. Keep that in mind when grouping tests |
| 87 | together. |
| 88 | |
| 89 | The `initialize` and `cleanup` methods have the following syntax, with |
| 90 | `suitename` being the current suite name, e.g. `adding` for the `adding.c` |
| 91 | suite. |
| 92 | |
| 93 | ~~~~ c |
| 94 | void test_suitename__initialize(void) |
| 95 | { |
| 96 | /* init */ |
| 97 | } |
| 98 | |
| 99 | void test_suitename__cleanup(void) |
| 100 | { |
| 101 | /* cleanup */ |
| 102 | } |
| 103 | ~~~~ |
| 104 | |
| 105 | These methods are encouraged to use static, global variables to store the state |
| 106 | that will be used by all tests inside the suite. |
| 107 | |
| 108 | ~~~~ c |
| 109 | static git_repository *_repository; |
| 110 | |
| 111 | void test_status__initialize(void) |
| 112 | { |
| 113 | create_tmp_repo(STATUS_REPO); |
| 114 | git_repository_open(_repository, STATUS_REPO); |
| 115 | } |
| 116 | |
| 117 | void test_status__cleanup(void) |
| 118 | { |
| 119 | git_repository_close(_repository); |
| 120 | git_path_rm(STATUS_REPO); |
| 121 | } |
| 122 | |
| 123 | void test_status__simple_test(void) |
| 124 | { |
| 125 | /* do something with _repository */ |
| 126 | } |
| 127 | ~~~~ |
| 128 | |
| 129 | Writing the actual tests is just as straightforward. Tests have the |
| 130 | `void test_suitename__test_name(void)` signature, and they should **not** |
| 131 | be static. Clar will automatically detect and list them. |
| 132 | |
| 133 | Tests are run as they appear on their original suites: they have no return |
| 134 | value. A test is considered "passed" if it doesn't raise any errors. Check |
| 135 | the "Clar API" section to see the various helper functions to check and |
| 136 | raise errors during test execution. |
| 137 | |
| 138 | __Caution:__ If you use assertions inside of `test_suitename__initialize`, |
| 139 | make sure that you do not rely on `__initialize` being completely run |
| 140 | inside your `test_suitename__cleanup` function. Otherwise you might |
| 141 | encounter resource cleanup twice. |
| 142 | |
| 143 | ## How does Clar work? |
| 144 | |
| 145 | To use Clar: |
| 146 | |
| 147 | 1. copy the Clar boilerplate to your test directory |
| 148 | 2. copy (and probably modify) the sample `main.c` (from |
| 149 | `$CLAR_PATH/example/main.c`) |
| 150 | 3. run the Clar mixer (a.k.a. `generate.py`) to scan your test directory and |
| 151 | write out the test suite metadata. |
| 152 | 4. compile your test files and the Clar boilerplate into a single test |
| 153 | executable |
| 154 | 5. run the executable to test! |
| 155 | |
| 156 | The Clar boilerplate gives you a set of useful test assertions and features |
| 157 | (like accessing or making sandbox copies of fixture data). It consists of |
| 158 | the `clar.c` and `clar.h` files, plus the code in the `clar/` subdirectory. |
| 159 | You should not need to edit these files. |
| 160 | |
| 161 | The sample `main.c` (i.e. `$CLAR_PATH/example/main.c`) file invokes |
| 162 | `clar_test(argc, argv)` to run the tests. Usually, you will edit this file |
| 163 | to perform any framework specific initialization and teardown that you need. |
| 164 | |
| 165 | The Clar mixer (`generate.py`) recursively scans your test directory for |
| 166 | any `.c` files, parses them, and writes the `clar.suite` file with all of |
| 167 | the metadata about your tests. When you build, the `clar.suite` file is |
| 168 | included into `clar.c`. |
| 169 | |
| 170 | The mixer can be run with **Python 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 and PyPy 1.6**. |
| 171 | |
| 172 | Commandline usage of the mixer is as follows: |
| 173 | |
| 174 | $ ./generate.py . |
| 175 | |
| 176 | Where `.` is the folder where all the test suites can be found. The mixer |
| 177 | will automatically locate all the relevant source files and build the |
| 178 | testing metadata. The metadata will be written to `clar.suite`, in the same |
| 179 | folder as all the test suites. This file is included by `clar.c` and so |
| 180 | must be accessible via `#include` when building the test executable. |
| 181 | |
| 182 | $ gcc -I. clar.c main.c suite1.c test2.c -o run_tests |
| 183 | |
| 184 | **Note that the Clar mixer only needs to be ran when adding new tests to a |
| 185 | suite, in order to regenerate the metadata**. As a result, the `clar.suite` |
| 186 | file can be checked into version control if you wish to be able to build |
| 187 | your test suite without having to re-run the mixer. |
| 188 | |
| 189 | This is handy when e.g. generating tests in a local computer, and then |
| 190 | building and testing them on an embedded device or a platform where Python |
| 191 | is not available. |
| 192 | |
| 193 | ### Fixtures |
| 194 | |
| 195 | Clar can create sandboxed fixtures for you to use in your test. You'll need to compile *clar.c* with an additional `CFLAG`, `-DCLAR_FIXTURE_PATH`. This should be an absolute path to your fixtures directory. |
| 196 | |
| 197 | Once that's done, you can use the fixture API as defined below. |
| 198 | |
| 199 | ## The Clar API |
| 200 | |
| 201 | Clar makes the following methods available from all functions in a test |
| 202 | suite. |
| 203 | |
| 204 | - `cl_must_pass(call)`, `cl_must_pass_(call, message)`: Verify that the given |
| 205 | function call passes, in the POSIX sense (returns a value greater or equal |
| 206 | to 0). |
| 207 | |
| 208 | - `cl_must_fail(call)`, `cl_must_fail_(call, message)`: Verify that the given |
| 209 | function call fails, in the POSIX sense (returns a value less than 0). |
| 210 | |
| 211 | - `cl_assert(expr)`, `cl_assert_(expr, message)`: Verify that `expr` is true. |
| 212 | |
| 213 | - `cl_check_pass(call)`, `cl_check_pass_(call, message)`: Verify that the |
| 214 | given function call passes, in the POSIX sense (returns a value greater or |
| 215 | equal to 0). If the function call doesn't succeed, a test failure will be |
| 216 | logged but the test's execution will continue. |
| 217 | |
| 218 | - `cl_check_fail(call)`, `cl_check_fail_(call, message)`: Verify that the |
| 219 | given function call fails, in the POSIX sense (returns a value less than |
| 220 | 0). If the function call doesn't fail, a test failure will be logged but |
| 221 | the test's execution will continue. |
| 222 | |
| 223 | - `cl_check(expr)`: Verify that `expr` is true. If `expr` is not |
| 224 | true, a test failure will be logged but the test's execution will continue. |
| 225 | |
| 226 | - `cl_fail(message)`: Fail the current test with the given message. |
| 227 | |
| 228 | - `cl_warning(message)`: Issue a warning. This warning will be |
| 229 | logged as a test failure but the test's execution will continue. |
| 230 | |
| 231 | - `cl_set_cleanup(void (*cleanup)(void *), void *opaque)`: Set the cleanup |
| 232 | method for a single test. This method will be called with `opaque` as its |
| 233 | argument before the test returns (even if the test has failed). |
| 234 | If a global cleanup method is also available, the local cleanup will be |
| 235 | called first, and then the global. |
| 236 | |
| 237 | - `cl_assert_equal_i(int,int)`: Verify that two integer values are equal. |
| 238 | The advantage of this over a simple `cl_assert` is that it will format |
| 239 | a much nicer error report if the values are not equal. |
| 240 | |
| 241 | - `cl_assert_equal_s(const char *,const char *)`: Verify that two strings |
| 242 | are equal. The expected value can also be NULL and this will correctly |
| 243 | test for that. |
| 244 | |
| 245 | - `cl_fixture_sandbox(const char *)`: Sets up a sandbox for a fixture |
| 246 | so that you can mutate the file directly. |
| 247 | |
| 248 | - `cl_fixture_cleanup(const char *)`: Tears down the previous fixture |
| 249 | sandbox. |
| 250 | |
| 251 | - `cl_fixture(const char *)`: Gets the full path to a fixture file. |
| 252 | |
| 253 | ### Auxiliary / helper functions |
| 254 | |
| 255 | The clar API is always available while running a test, even when calling |
| 256 | "auxiliary" (helper) functions. |
| 257 | |
| 258 | You're encouraged to perform test assertions in those auxiliary |
| 259 | methods, instead of returning error values. This is considered good |
| 260 | Clar style. _However_, when you do this, you need to call `cl_invoke` |
| 261 | to preserve the current state; this ensures that failures are reported |
| 262 | as coming from the actual test, instead of the auxiliary method. |
| 263 | |
| 264 | Style Example: |
| 265 | |
| 266 | ~~~~ c |
| 267 | /* |
| 268 | * Bad style: auxiliary functions return an error code |
| 269 | */ |
| 270 | |
| 271 | static int check_string(const char *str) |
| 272 | { |
| 273 | const char *aux = process_string(str); |
| 274 | |
| 275 | if (aux == NULL) |
| 276 | return -1; |
| 277 | |
| 278 | return strcmp(my_function(aux), str) == 0 ? 0 : -1; |
| 279 | } |
| 280 | |
| 281 | void test_example__a_test_with_auxiliary_methods(void) |
| 282 | { |
| 283 | cl_must_pass_( |
| 284 | check_string("foo"), |
| 285 | "String differs after processing" |
| 286 | ); |
| 287 | |
| 288 | cl_must_pass_( |
| 289 | check_string("bar"), |
| 290 | "String differs after processing" |
| 291 | ); |
| 292 | } |
| 293 | ~~~~ |
| 294 | |
| 295 | ~~~~ c |
| 296 | /* |
| 297 | * Good style: auxiliary functions perform assertions |
| 298 | */ |
| 299 | |
| 300 | static void check_string(const char *str) |
| 301 | { |
| 302 | const char *aux = process_string(str); |
| 303 | |
| 304 | cl_assert_( |
| 305 | aux != NULL, |
| 306 | "String processing failed" |
| 307 | ); |
| 308 | |
| 309 | cl_assert_( |
| 310 | strcmp(my_function(aux), str) == 0, |
| 311 | "String differs after processing" |
| 312 | ); |
| 313 | } |
| 314 | |
| 315 | void test_example__a_test_with_auxiliary_methods(void) |
| 316 | { |
| 317 | cl_invoke(check_string("foo")); |
| 318 | cl_invoke(check_string("bar")); |
| 319 | } |
| 320 | ~~~~ |
| 321 | |
| 322 | About Clar |
| 323 | ========== |
| 324 | |
| 325 | Clar was originally written by [Vicent Martí](https://github.com/vmg), |
| 326 | to replace the old testing framework in [libgit2][libgit2]. It is |
| 327 | currently maintained by [Edward Thomson](https://github.com/ethomson), |
| 328 | and used by the [libgit2][libgit2] and [git][git] projects, amongst |
| 329 | others. |
| 330 | |
| 331 | [libgit2]: https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2 |
| 332 | [git]: https://github.com/git/git |