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Testing

Testing Frameworks

Note: At present (0.1.0), there are no testing frameworks incorporated for automatically testing non-C++ code. These may be added in the future.

Google Test

The project uses the Google Test framework for automated C++ tests. Its source code and documentation can be found here. It is included as a Git Submodule, so the submodule must be initialized locally, a step not automatically performed by default when cloning the repo.

Initializing can be done by running the following command from the project root:

git submodule update --init --recursive -- test/googletest

Additionally, this command can be re-run to sync the local submodule working tree with the state expected upstream. I.e., if this project gets updated to utilize a new version of Google Test, the command above can be run again locally to make sure the local copy also gets moved to that version.

See the git help submodule command for more information.

(Re)generating CMake Project Buildsystem

The CMake buildsystem will need to either be generated or regenerated after the submodule is initialized.

Regenerating just requires an initial step of removing the/an existing CMake build directory (frequently something like cmake-build-debug/ in the project root).

If/once the desired build directory does not exist, use an appropriate CMake command to generate the buildsystem. E.g.:

cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -B cmake-build-debug -S .

Executing Automated Tests

C++ Tests

The basic process for executing a group of C++ tests is:

  • execute an appropriate CMake test target
    • this generates an executable tests file
  • execute the generated tests file

Test Targets and Executables

There are several CMake testing executables/targets configured in /test/CMakeLists.txt, discussed in the section on adding tests to CMake builds. The primary ones, corresponding to important collections of tests, are:

  • test_unit for all unit tests
  • test_integration for all integration tests
  • test_all for all unit and integration tests

Note: make sure the CMake build system is (re)generated before trying to build the targets below.

When built with CMake, these and other similar targets each produce a target-specific test executable file. E.g.:

cmake --build cmake-build-dir --target test_unit -- -j 4

This produces an executable test file cmake-build-dir/test/test_unit, which can then be used to run the configured collection of tests:

./cmake-build-dir/test/test_unit

It is also possible to add the --gtest_filter= flag followed by a colon-delimited series of tests' full names. Google Test defines the full name of a test as:

test_suite_name.test_name

For example:

./cmake-build-dir/test/test_unit --gtest_filter=HymodKernelTest.TestCalcET0:HymodKernelTest.TestRun0

Creating New Automated Tests

Automated testing design and infrastructure for this project are somewhat fluid while this project is in its early stages. The only strict rules are (as of 0.1.0):

  • C++ tests should use the Google Test framework
  • C++ tests should be added to the CMake build via /test/CMakeLists.txt, as described here
  • test code should be placed under the /test/ directory

However, there are a few rules of thumb discussed below to consider as the process matures in its early stages.

Adding Tests to CMake Builds

Tests should be added to the CMake build using /test/CMakeLists.txt. Within that file, there are several test targets that are already defined, using either the add_automated_test() or add_automated_test_w_mock() macro. In particular:

  • test_unit for all unit tests
  • test_integration for all integration tests
  • test_all for all unit and integration tests

These and other similar targets are configured (using either the add_automated_test() or add_automated_test_w_mock() macro) with the applicable *.cpp files that have the code for tests that should be included in the particular target.

Existing target configurations must be updated with the test file for any newly added tests, assuming the file is not already configured.

Test Creation Rules of Thumb

There are few additional rules of thumb to keep in mind when creating new tests. These are not set in stone yet; rather, they seem like good practices, but feedback is still needed on how useful they are and if there are any situations where they are lacking.

Test Work Before Push or PR

Make sure existing tests related to a change are still applicable and still pass before distributing the change (i.e., pushing, making a pull request, etc.). Add new tests as needed for changes not covered by existing tests.

If new tests are needed, but creating them is not immediately feasible, create one or more tickets/issues for adding such tests in the future.

Separate Test Types in Separate Files

Keep unit tests, integration tests, etc., in separate files dedicated to that type of test. This is helpful for several reasons, including isolating which overall group of tests get run.

Use Analogous Names

To help give clarity to what relates to what, use analogous names for associated test items. This should be the source code item's name(*), with either a standard prefix or suffix added.

  • files
    • base: source code filename
    • suffix: _Test/Test for unit tests or _IT/IT for integration tests
      • e.g., HY_FlowPath.cpp and HY_FlowPath_Test.cpp
  • test fixtures, test suites, and associated classes
    • base: upper camel case form(*) of source code class
    • suffix: Test for unit tests or IT for integration tests
  • test names
    • base: upper camel case form(*) of source code function
    • prefix: Test
    • suffix: optional(**) alphanumeric identifier (e.g., 1, 1a, 1b)

* Underscores are not allowed in identifiers that become part of a test's full name by Google Test, which will be based on the test fixture name (when one is used) and the test's name; thus, for fixture classes and test functions, the applicable bases should be converted.

** The intent of an additional suffix on test name would be to differentiate a case such as two very similar tests, like two that have exactly the same logic but operate on two different example input cases.

Use Analogous Paths

To help with finding associated test code files, mirror the directory structure under test/ of the path to the associated source file. E.g., functions defined in models/hymod/include/Hymod.h should have unit tests in test/models/hymod/include/HymodTest.cpp.

Keep Unit Test Assertions to a Minimum

For unit tests, try to keep the number of assertions (and perhaps comparisons in general) to a minimum, to help isolate individual aspect of behavior being tested.