How to write unit tests for wxWidgets ===================================== Unit tests for wxWidgets are written using small cppunit framework. To compile (but not to run) them you need to have it installed. Hence the first part of this note explains how to do it while the second one explains how to write the test. I. CppUnit Installation ----------------------- 1. Get it from http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/cppunit (latest version as of the time of this writing is 1.8.0) 2. Build the library: a) Under Windows using VC++ (both versions 6 and 7 work): - build everything in CppUnitLibraries.dsw work space - add include and lib subdirectories of the directory where you installed cppunit to the compiler search path using "Tools|Options" menu in VC IDEA b) Under Unix: run configure && make && make install as usual II. Writing tests with CppUnit ------------------------------ 1. Create a new directory tests/foo 2. Write a cpp file for the test copying, if you want, from one of the existing tests. The things to look for: a) #include "wx/cppunit.h" instead of directly including CppUnit headers b) don't put too many things in one test case nor in one method of a test case as it makes understanding what exactly failed harder later c) 'register' your tests as follows so that the test program will find and execute them: // register in the unnamed registry so that these tests are run by default CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_REGISTRATION(MBConvTestCase); // also include in it's own registry so that these tests can be run alone CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_NAMED_REGISTRATION(MBConvTestCase, "MBConvTestCase"); Read CppUnit documentation for more. 3. add a '' tag for your source file to tests/test.bkl III. Running the tests ---------------------- 1. Regenerate the make/project files from test.bkl using bakefile_gen, e.g.: cd build/bakefiles bakefile_gen -b ../../tests/test.bkl and if you're on a unix system re-run configure. 2. Build the test program using one of the make/project files in the tests subdirectory. 3. Run the test program with no arguments to run the default set of tests (which are all those registered with CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_REGISTRATION). Or to list the test suites without running them: test -l 4. Tests that have been registered under a name using CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_NAMED_REGISTRATION can also be run separately. For example: test MBConvTestCase or to list the tests: test -L MBConvTestCase IV. Notes --------- 1. You can register your tests (or a subset of them) just under a name, and not in the unnamed registry if you don't want them to be executed by default. 2. If you are going to register your tests both in the unnamed registry and under a name, then use the name that the tests have in the 'test -l' listing. 3. Tests which fail can be temporarily registered under "fixme" while the problems they expose are fixed, instead of the unnamed registry. That way they can easily be run, but they do not make regression testing with the default suite more difficult. E.g.: // register in the unnamed registry so that these tests are run by default //CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_REGISTRATION(wxRegExTestCase); CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_NAMED_REGISTRATION(wxRegExTestCase, "fixme"); // also include in it's own registry so that these tests can be run alone CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_NAMED_REGISTRATION(wxRegExTestCase, "wxRegExTestCase"); 4. Tests which take a long time to execute can be registered under "advanced" instead of the unnamed registry. The default suite should execute reasonably quickly. To run the default and advanced tests together: test "" advanced === EOF === Author: VZ Version: $Id$