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.. -*- mode: rst-mode -*- .. .. Version number is filled in automatically. .. |version| replace:: 0.4-14 ============================================ BTest - A Simple Driver for Basic Unit Tests ============================================ .. rst-class:: opening The ``btest`` is a simple framework for writing unit tests. Freely borrowing some ideas from other packages, it's main objective is to provide an easy-to-use, straightforward driver for a suite of shell-based tests. Each test consists of a set of command lines that will be executed, and success is determined based on their exit codes. ``btest`` comes with some additional tools that can be used within such tests to compare output against a previously established baseline. .. contents:: Download ======== You can find the latest BTest release for download at http://www.bro.org/download. BTest's git repository is located at `git://git.bro.org/btest.git <git://git.bro.org/btest.git>`__. You can browse the repository `here <http://git.bro.org/btest.git>`__. This document describes BTest |version|. See the ``CHANGES`` file for version history. Installation ============ Installation is simple and standard:: tar xzvf btest-*.tar.gz cd btest-* python setup.py install This will install a few scripts: ``btest`` is the main driver program, and there are a number of further helper scripts that we discuss below (including ``btest-diff``, which is a tool for comparing output to a previously established baseline). Writing a Simple Test ===================== In the most simple case, ``btest`` simply executes a set of command lines, each of which must be prefixed with ``@TEST-EXEC:`` :: > cat examples/t1 @TEST-EXEC: echo "Foo" | grep -q Foo @TEST-EXEC: test -d . > btest examples/t1 examples.t1 ... ok The test passes as both command lines return success. If one of them didn't, that would be reported:: > cat examples/t2 @TEST-EXEC: echo "Foo" | grep -q Foo @TEST-EXEC: test -d DOESNOTEXIST > btest examples/t2 examples.t2 ... failed Usually you will just run all tests found in a directory:: > btest examples examples.t1 ... ok examples.t2 ... failed 1 test failed Why do we need the ``@TEST-EXEC:`` prefixes? Because the file containing the test can simultaneously act as *its input*. Let's say we want to verify a shell script:: > cat examples/t3.sh # @TEST-EXEC: sh %INPUT ls /etc | grep -q passwd > btest examples/t3.sh examples.t3 ... ok Here, ``btest`` is executing (something similar to) ``sh examples/t3.sh``, and then checks the return value as usual. The example also shows that the ``@TEST-EXEC`` prefix can appear anywhere, in particular inside the comment section of another language. Now, let's say we want to check the output of a program, making sure that it matches what we expect. For that, we first add a command line to the test that produces the output we want to check, and then run ``btest-diff`` to make sure it matches a previously recorded baseline. ``btest-diff`` is itself just a script that returns success if the output is as expected, and failure otherwise. In the following example, we use an awk script as a fancy way to print all file names starting with a dot in the user's home directory. We write that list into a file called ``dots`` and then check whether its content matches what we know from last time:: > cat examples/t4.awk # @TEST-EXEC: ls -a $HOME | awk -f %INPUT >dots # @TEST-EXEC: btest-diff dots /^\.+/ { print $1 } Note that each test gets its own little sandbox directory when run, so by creating a file like ``dots``, you aren't cluttering up anything. The first time we run this test, we need to record a baseline:: > btest -U examples/t4.awk Now, ``btest-diff`` has remembered what the ``dots`` file should look like:: > btest examples/t4.awk examples.t4 ... ok > touch ~/.NEWDOTFILE > btest examples/t4.awk examples.t4 ... failed 1 test failed If we want to see what exactly the unexpected change is that was introduced to ``dots``, there's a *diff* mode for that:: > btest -d examples/t4.awk examples.t4 ... failed % 'btest-diff dots' failed unexpectedly (exit code 1) % cat .diag == File =============================== [... current dots file ...] == Diff =============================== --- /Users/robin/work/binpacpp/btest/Baseline/examples.t4/dots 2010-10-28 20:11:11.000000000 -0700 +++ dots 2010-10-28 20:12:30.000000000 -0700 @@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ .CFUserTextEncoding .DS_Store .MacOSX +.NEWDOTFILE .Rhistory .Trash .Xauthority ======================================= % cat .stderr [... if any of the commands had printed something to stderr, that would follow here ...] Once we delete the new file, we are fine again:: > rm ~/.NEWDOTFILE > btest -d examples/t4.awk examples.t4 ... ok That's already the main functionality that the ``btest`` package provides. In the following, we describe a number of further options extending/modifying this basic approach. Reference ========= Command Line Usage ------------------ ``btest`` must be started with a list of tests and/or directories given on the command line. In the latter case, the default is to recursively scan the directories and assume all files found to be tests to perform. It is however possible to exclude certain files by specifying a suitable `configuration file`_. ``btest`` returns exit code 0 if all tests have successfully passed, and 1 otherwise. ``btest`` accepts the following options: -a ALTERNATIVE, --alternative=ALTERNATIVE Activates an alternative_ configuration defined in the configuration file. This option can be given multiple times to run tests with several alternatives. If ``ALTERNATIVE`` is ``-`` that refers to running with the standard setup, which can be used to run tests both with and without alterantives by giving both. -b, --brief Does not output *anything* for tests which pass. If all tests pass, there will not be any output at all. -c CONFIG, --config=CONFIG Specifies an alternative `configuration file`_ to use. If not specified, the default is to use a file called ``btest.cfg`` if found in the current directory. -d, --diagnostics Reports diagnostics for all failed tests. The diagnostics include the command line that failed, its output to standard error, and potential additional information recorded by the command line for diagnostic purposes (see `@TEST-EXEC`_ below). In the case of ``btest-diff``, the latter is the ``diff`` between baseline and actual output. -D, --diagnostics-all Reports diagnostics for all tests, including those which pass. -f DIAGFILE, --file-diagnostics=DIAGFILE Writes diagnostics for all failed tests into the given file. If the file already exists, it will be overwritten. -g GROUPS, --group=GROUPS Runs only tests assigned to the given test groups, see `@TEST-GROUP`_. Multiple groups can be given as a comma-separated list. Specifying ``-`` as a group name selects all tests that do not belong to any group. -j [THREADS], --jobs[=THREADS] Runs up to the given number of tests in parallel. If no number is given, BTest substitutes the number of available CPU cores as reported by the OS. By default, BTest assumes that all tests can be executed concurrently without further constraints. One can however ensure serialization of subsets by assigning them to the same serialization set, see `@TEST-SERIALIZE`_. -q, --quiet Suppress information output other than about failed tests. If all tests pass, there will not be any output at all. -r, --rerun Runs only tests that failed last time. After each execution (except when updating baselines), BTest generates a state file that records the tests that have failed. Using this option on the next run then reads that file back in and limits execution to those tests found in there. -t, --tmp-keep Does not delete any temporary files created for running the tests (including their outputs). By default, the temporary files for a test will be located in ``.tmp/<test>/``, where ``<test>`` is the relative path of the test file with all slashes replaced with dots and the file extension removed (e.g., the files for ``example/t3.sh`` will be in ``.tmp/example.t3``). -U, --update-baseline Records a new baseline for all ``btest-diff`` commands found in any of the specified tests. To do this, all tests are run as normal except that when ``btest-diff`` is executed, it does not compute a diff but instead considers the given file to be authoritative and records it as the version to compare with in future runs. -u, --update-interactive Each time a ``btest-diff`` command fails in any tests that are run, btest will stop and ask whether or not the user wants to record a new baseline. -v, --verbose Shows all test command lines as they are executed. -w, --wait Interactively waits for ``<enter>`` after showing diagnostics for a test. -x FILE, --xml=FILE Records test results in JUnit XML format to the given file. If the file exists already, it is overwritten. .. _configuration file: Configuration ------------- Specifics of ``btest``'s execution can be tuned with a configuration file, which by default is ``btest.cfg`` if that's found in the current directory. It can alternatively be specified with the ``--config`` command line option. The configuration file is "INI-style", and an example comes with the distribution, see ``btest.cfg.example``. A configuration file has one main section, ``btest``, that defines most options; as well as an optional section for defining `environment variables`_ and further optional sections for defining alternatives_. Note that all paths specified in the configuration file are relative to ``btest``'s *base directory*. The base directory is either the one where the configuration file is located if such is given/found, or the current working directory if not. When setting values for configuration options, the absolute path to the base directory is available by using the macro ``%(testbase)s`` (the weird syntax is due to Python's ``ConfigParser`` module). Furthermore, all values can use standard "backtick-syntax" to include the output of external commands (e.g., xyz=`\echo test\`). Note that the backtick expansion is performed after any ``%(..)`` have already been replaced (including within the backticks). Options ~~~~~~~ The following options can be set in the ``btest`` section of the configuration file: ``TestDirs`` A space-separated list of directories to search for tests. If defined, one doesn't need to specify any tests on the command line. ``TmpDir`` A directory where to create temporary files when running tests. By default, this is set to ``%(testbase)s/.tmp``. ``BaselineDir`` A directory where to store the baseline files for ``btest-diff``. By default, this is set to ``%(testbase)s/Baseline``. ``IgnoreDirs`` A space-separated list of relative directory names to ignore when scanning test directories recursively. Default is empty. ``IgnoreFiles`` A space-separated list of filename globs matching files to ignore when scanning given test directories recursively. Default is empty. ``StateFile`` The name of the state file to record the names of failing tests. Default is ``.btest.failed.dat``. ``Finalizer`` An executable that will be executed each time any test has successfully run. It runs in the same directory as the test itself and receives the name of the test as its parameter. The return value indicates whether the test should indeed be considered successful. By default, there's no finalizer set. .. _environment variables: Environment Variables ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A special section ``environment`` defines environment variables that will be propagated to all tests:: [environment] CFLAGS=-O3 PATH=%(testbase)s/bin:%(default_path)s Note how ``PATH`` can be adjusted to include local scripts: the example above prefixes it with a local ``bin/`` directory inside the base directory, using the predefined ``default_path`` macro to refer to the ``PATH`` as it is set by default. Furthermore, by setting ``PATH`` to include the ``btest`` distribution directory, one could skip the installation of the ``btest`` package. .. _alternative: Alternatives ~~~~~~~~~~~~ BTest can run a set of tests with different settings than it would normally use by specifying an *alternative* configuration. Currently, three things can be adjusted: - Further environment variables can be set that will then be available to all the commands that a test executes. - *Filters* can modify an input file before a test uses it. - *Substitutions* can modify command lines executed as part of a test. We discuss the three separately in the following. All of them are defined by adding sections ``[<type>-<name>]`` where ``<type>`` corresponds to the type of adjustment being made and ``<name>`` is the name of the alternative. Once at least one section is defined for a name, that alternative can be enabled by BTest's ``--alternative`` flag. Environment Variables ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ An alternative can add further environment variables by defining an ``[environment-<name>]`` section: [environment-myalternative] CFLAGS=-O3 Running ``btest`` with ``--alternative=myalternative`` will now make the ``CFLAGS`` environment variable available to all commands executed. .. _filters: Filters ^^^^^^^ Filters are a transparent way to adapt the input to a specific test command before it is executed. A filter is defined by adding a section ``[filter-<name>]`` to the configuration file. This section must have exactly one entry, and the name of that entry is interpreted as the name of a command whose input is to be filtered. The value of that entry is the name of a filter script that will be run with two arguments representing input and output files, respectively. Example:: [filter-myalternative] cat=%(testbase)s/bin/filter-cat Once the filter is activated by running ``btest`` with ``--alternative=myalternative``, every time a ``@TEST-EXEC: cat %INPUT`` is found, ``btest`` will first execute (something similar to) ``%(testbase)s/bin/filter-cat %INPUT out.tmp``, and then subsequently ``cat out.tmp`` (i.e., the original command but with the filtered output). In the simplest case, the filter could be a no-op in the form ``cp $1 $2``. .. note:: There are a few limitations to the filter concept currently: * Filters are *always* fed with ``%INPUT`` as their first argument. We should add a way to filter other files as well. * Filtered commands are only recognized if they are directly starting the command line. For example, ``@TEST-EXEC: ls | cat >outout`` would not trigger the example filter above. * Filters are only executed for ``@TEST-EXEC``, not for ``@TEST-EXEC-FAIL``. .. _substitution: Substitutions ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Substitutions are similar to filters, yet they do not adapt the input but the command line being executed. A substitution is defined by adding a section ``[substitution-<name>]`` to the configuration file. For each entry in this section, the entry's name specifies the command that is to be replaced with something else given as its value. Example:: [substitution-myalternative] gcc=gcc -O2 Once the substitution is activated by running ``btest`` with ``--alternative=myalternative``, every time a ``@TEST-EXEC`` executes ``gcc``, that is replaced with ``gcc -O2``. The replacement is simple string substitution so it works not only with commands but anything found on the command line; it however only replaces full words, not subparts of words. Writing Tests ------------- ``btest`` scans a test file for lines containing keywords that trigger certain functionality. Currently, the following keywords are supported: .. _@TEST-EXEC: ``@TEST-EXEC: <cmdline>`` Executes the given command line and aborts the test if it returns an error code other than zero. The ``<cmdline>`` is passed to the shell and thus can be a pipeline, use redirection, and any environment variables specified in ``<cmdline>`` will be expanded, etc. When running a test, the current working directory for all command lines will be set to a temporary sandbox (and will be deleted later). There are two macros that can be used in ``<cmdline>``: ``%INPUT`` will be replaced with the full pathname of the file defining the test; and ``%DIR`` will be replaced with the directory where the test file is located. The latter can be used to reference further files also located there. In addition to environment variables defined in the configuration file, there are further ones that are passed into the commands: ``TEST_DIAGNOSTICS`` A file where further diagnostic information can be saved in case a command fails. ``--diagnostics`` will show this file. (This is also where ``btest-diff`` stores its diff.) ``TEST_MODE`` This is normally set to ``TEST``, but will be ``UPDATE`` if ``btest`` is run with ``--update-baseline``, or ``UPDATE_INTERACTIVE`` if run with ``--update-interactive``. ``TEST_BASELINE`` The name of a directory where the command can save permanent information across ``btest`` runs. (This is where ``btest-diff`` stores its baseline in ``UPDATE`` mode.) ``TEST_NAME`` The name of the currently executing test. ``TEST_VERBOSE`` The path of a file where the test can record further information about its execution that will be included with btest's ``--verbose`` output. This is for further tracking the execution of commands and should generally generate output that follows a line-based structure. .. note:: If a command returns the special exit code 100, the test is considered failed, however subsequent test commands are still run. ``btest-diff`` uses this special exit code to indicate that no baseline has yet been established. If a command returns the special exit code 200, the test is considered failed and all further test executions are aborted. ``@TEST-EXEC-FAIL: <cmdline>`` Like ``@TEST-EXEC``, except that this expects the command to *fail*, i.e., the test is aborted when the return code is zero. ``@TEST-REQUIRES: <cmdline>`` Defines a condition that must be met for the test to be executed. The given command line will be run before any of the actual test commands, and it must return success for the test to continue. If it does not return success, the rest of the test will be skipped but doing so will not be considered a failure of the test. This allows to write conditional tests that may not always make sense to run, depending on whether external constraints are satisfied or not (say, whether a particular library is available). Multiple requirements may be specified and then all must be met for the test to continue. ``@TEST-ALTERNATIVE: <alternative>`` Runs this test only for the given alternative (see alternative_). If ``<alternatives>`` is ``default``, the test executes when BTest runs with no alternative given (which however is the default anyways). ``@TEST-NOT-ALTERNATIVE: <alternative>`` Ignores this test for the given alternative (see alternative_). If ``<alternative>`` is ``default``, the test is ignored if BTest runs with no alternative given. ``@TEST-COPY-FILE: <file>`` Copy the given file into the test's directory before the test is run. If ``<file>`` is a relative path, it's interpreted relative to the BTest's base directory. Environment variables in ``<file>`` will be replaced if enclosed in ``${..}``. This command can be given multiple times. ``@TEST-START-NEXT`` This is a short-cut for defining multiple test inputs in the same file, all executing with the same command lines. When ``@TEST-START-NEXT`` is encountered, the test file is initially considered to end at that point, and all ``@TEST-EXEC-*`` are run with an ``%INPUT`` truncated accordingly. Afterwards, a *new* ``%INPUT`` is created with everything *following* the ``@TEST-START-NEXT`` marker, and the *same* commands are run again (further ``@TEST-EXEC-*`` will be ignored). The effect is that a single file can actually define two tests, and the ``btest`` output will enumerate them:: > cat examples/t5.sh # @TEST-EXEC: cat %INPUT | wc -c >output # @TEST-EXEC: btest-diff output This is the first test input in this file. # @TEST-START-NEXT ... and the second. > ./btest -D examples/t5.sh examples.t5 ... ok % cat .diag == File =============================== 119 [...] examples.t5-2 ... ok % cat .diag == File =============================== 22 [...] Multiple ``@TEST-START-NEXT`` can be used to create more than two tests per file. ``@TEST-START-FILE <file>`` This is used to include an additional input file for a test right inside the test file. All lines following the keyword will be written into the given file (and removed from the test's `%INPUT`) until a terminating ``@TEST-END-FILE`` is found. Example:: > cat examples/t6.sh # @TEST-EXEC: awk -f %INPUT <foo.dat >output # @TEST-EXEC: btest-diff output { lines += 1; } END { print lines; } @TEST-START-FILE foo.dat 1 2 3 @TEST-END-FILE > btest -D examples/t6.sh examples.t6 ... ok % cat .diag == File =============================== 3 Multiple such files can be defined within a single test. Note that this is only one way to use further input files. Another is to store a file in the same directory as the test itself, making sure it's ignored via ``IgnoreFiles``, and then refer to it via ``%DIR/<name>``. .. _@TEST-GROUP: ``@TEST-GROUP: <group>`` Assigns the test to a group of name ``<group>``. By using option ``-g`` one can limit execution to all tests that belong to a given group (or a set of groups). .. _@TEST-SERIALIZE: ``@TEST-SERIALIZE: <set>`` When using option ``-j`` to parallelize execution, all tests that specify the same serialization set are guaranteed to run sequentially. ``<set>`` is an arbitrary user-chosen string. Canonifying Diffs ================= ``btest-diff`` has the capability to filter its input through an additional script before it compares the current version with the baseline. This can be useful if certain elements in an output are *expected* to change (e.g., timestamps). The filter can then remove/replace these with something consistent. To enable such canonification, set the environment variable ``TEST_DIFF_CANONIFIER`` to a script reading the original version from stdin and writing the canonified version to stdout. Note that both baseline and current output are passed through the filter before their differences are computed. Running Processes in the Background =================================== Sometimes processes need to be spawned in the background for a test, in particular if multiple processes need to cooperate in some fashion. ``btest`` comes with two helper scripts to make life easier in such a situation: ``btest-bg-run <tag> <cmdline>`` This is a script that runs ``<cmdline>`` in the background, i.e., it's like using ``cmdline &`` in a shell script. Test execution continues immediately with the next command. Note that the spawned command is *not* run in the current directory, but instead in a newly created sub-directory called ``<tag>``. This allows spawning multiple instances of the same process without needing to worry about conflicting outputs. If you want to access a command's output later, like with ``btest-diff``, use ``<tag>/foo.log`` to access it. ``btest-bg-wait [-k] <timeout>`` This script waits for all processes previously spawned via ``btest-bg-run`` to finish. If any of them exits with a non-zero return code, ``btest-bg-wait`` does so as well, indicating a failed test. ``<timeout>`` is mandatory and gives the maximum number of seconds to wait for any of the processes to terminate. If any process hasn't done so when the timeout expires, it will be killed and the test is considered to be failed as long as ``-k`` is not given. If ``-k`` is given, pending processes are still killed but the test continues normally, i.e., non-termination is not considered a failure in this case. This script also collects the processes' stdout and stderr outputs for diagnostics output. Integration with Sphinx ======================= ``btest`` comes with a new directive for the documentation framework `Sphinx <http://sphinx.pocoo.org>`_. The directive allows to write a test directly inside a Sphinx document, and then to include output from the test's command into the generated documentation. The same tests can also run externally and will catch if any changes to the included content occur. The following walks through setting this up. Configuration ------------- First, you need to tell Sphinx a base directory for the ``btest`` configuration as well as a directory in there where to store tests it extracts from the Sphinx documentation. Typically, you'd just create a new subdirectory ``tests`` in the Sphinx project for the ``btest`` setup and then store the tests in there in, e.g., ``doc/``:: cd <sphinx-root> mkdir tests mkdir tests/doc Then add the following to your Sphinx ``conf.py``:: extensions += ["btest-sphinx"] btest_base="tests" # Relative to Sphinx-root. btest_tests="doc" # Relative to btest_base. Next, a finalizer to ``btest.cfg``:: [btest] ... Finalizer=btest-diff-rst Finally, create a ``btest.cfg`` in ``tests/`` as usual and add ``doc/`` to the ``TestDirs`` option. Including a Test into a Sphinx Document --------------------------------------- The ``btest`` extension provides a new directive to include a test inside a Sphinx document:: .. btest:: <test-name> <test content> Here, ``<test-name>`` is a custom name for the test; it will be stored in ``btest_tests`` under that name. ``<test content>`` is just a standard test as you would normally put into one of the ``TestDirs``. Example:: .. btest:: just-a-test @TEST-EXEC: expr 2 + 2 When you now run Sphinx, it will (1) store the test content into ``tests/doc/just-a-test`` (assuming the above path layout), and (2) execute the test by running ``btest`` on it. You can then run ``btest`` manually in ``tests/`` as well and it will execute the test just as it would in a standard setup. If a test fails when Sphinx runs it, there will be a corresponding error and include the diagnostic output into the document. By default, nothing else will be included into the generated documentation, i.e., the above test will just turn into an empty text block. However, ``btest`` comes with a set of scripts that you can use to specify content to be included. As a simple example, ``btest-rst-cmd <cmdline>`` will execute a command and (if it succeeds) include both the command line and the standard output into the documentation. Example:: .. btest:: another-test @TEST-EXEC: btest-rst-cmd echo Hello, world! When running Sphinx, this will render as: .. code:: # echo Hello, world! Hello world! When running ``btest`` manually in ``tests/``, the ``Finalizer`` we added to ``btest.cfg`` (see above) compares the generated reST code with a previously established baseline, just like ``btest-diff`` does with files. To establish the initial baseline, run ``btest -u``, like you would with ``btest-diff``. Scripts ------- The following Sphinx support scripts come with ``btest``: ``btest-rst-cmd [options] <cmdline>`` By default, this executes ``<cmdline>`` and includes both the command line itself and its standard output into the generated documentation. See above for an example. This script provides the following options: -c ALTERNATIVE_CMDLINE Show ``ALTERNATIVE_CMDLINE`` in the generated documentation instead of the one actually executed. (It still runs the ``<cmdline>`` given outside the option.) -d Do not actually execute ``<cmdline>``; just format it for the generated documentation and include no further output. -f FILTER_CMD Pipe the command line's output through ``FILTER_CMD`` before including. If ``-r`` is given, it filters the file's content instead of stdout. -o Do not include the executed command into the generated documentation, just its output. -r FILE Insert ``FILE`` into output instead of stdout. ``btest-rst-include <file>`` Includes ``<file>`` inside a code block. ``btest-rst-pipe <cmdline>`` Executes ``<cmdline>``, includes its standard output inside a code block. Note that this script does not include the command line itself into the code block, just the output. .. note:: All these scripts can be run directly from the command line to show the reST code they generate. .. note:: ``btest-rst-cmd`` can do everything the other scripts provide if you give it the right options. In fact, the other scripts are provided just for convenience and leverage ``btest-rst-cmd`` internally. License ======= btest is open-source under a BSD licence.