README.md

TCFrame

A test case generation framework for competitive programming problems.

TCFrame is a C++ framework for generating test cases of competitive programming problems. This framework helps problem writers prepare test cases in a structured manner and ensures that the generated test cases are valid according to the specified constraints.

Consult the complete documentation at https://tcframe.toki.id.

Example high-level usage:

1. Specify input/output variables.

   int A, B;
   int sum;

2. Specify input/output formats, using a rich set of format macros.

   void InputFormat() {
       LINE(A, B); // A line containing space-separated A and B
   }
   void OutputFormat() {
       LINE(sum);
   }

3. Specify the grading configuration.

   void GradingConfig() {
       TimeLimit(1);
       MemoryLimit(64);
   }

4. Specify the constraints. Subtasks are supported.

   void Constraints() {
       CONS(1 <= A && A <= 1000);
       CONS(1 <= B && B <= 1000);
   }

5. Specify the sample test cases.

   void SampleTestCase1() {
       Input({
           "2 8"
       });
       Output({
           "10"
       });
   }
   void SampleTestCase2() {
       Input({
           "42 100"
       });
       Output({
           "142"
       });
   }

6. Specify the official test cases. Simple random number generator is available.

   void TestCases() {
       CASE(A = 1, B = 1);
       CASE(A = 77, B = 99);
       CASE(A = rnd.nextInt(1, 1000), B = rnd.nextInt(1, 1000));
   }

7. Write and compile the official solution to this problem, using any programming language you wish. Of course, it is the infamous A+B problem.

   #include <iostream>
   using namespace std;
   
   int main() {
       int A, B;
       cin >> A >> B;
       cout << (A + B) << endl;
   }

8. Run the generator. Actual test cases (.in and .out files) will be generated. Profit!

9. If you ever specified an invalid test case, such as CASE(A = 0, B = 1), you will get a nice error message:

     sum_4: FAILED
       Description: A = 0, B = 1
       Reasons:
       * Does not satisfy constraints, on:
         - 1 <= A && A <= 1000
   

Features

TCFrame supports:

• Batch and interactive problems.
• ICPC-style problems and IOI-style problems with subtasks and points.
• Multiple test cases per file.
• Local grading against the generated test cases, with time and memory limits.
• Simple random number generation helper.

Requirements

TCFrame requires:

• Linux/macOS. Windows is not supported.
• GCC which supports C++17.

Motivations

Why do we need test case generators?

• Writing test cases manually is error-prone and time-consuming.
• To enable distributing the test cases as a single, small generator file. No need to send 20 MB of testcases.zip over email anymore.
• During problem development, constraints often change. Using a generator, we can easily amend the constraints and rerun the generator when needed.

Why do we need a framework for that?

• Not everyone knows how to write a good test cases generator.
• To avoid writing repetitive and boring tasks. For example: creating test case files with correct suffixes (foo_1.in, foo_1.out), running the official solution against the test case input files, etc.
• To have a consistent format for generators, so that problem writers in a contest can better collaborate in writing test case generators.

Credits

TCFrame is based on a paper submitted to IOI conference in 2015: Introducing tcframe: A Simple and Robust Test Cases Generation Framework, written by Ashar Fuadi.

TCFrame was mainly inspired from testlib, written by Mike Mirzayanov et al.

License

TCFrame is released under MIT license.