Re: [boost] is the link-fail test working correctly in the regression tests?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-12-29 11:02:47

"John Maddock" <jm_at_[hidden]> writes:

>>
>> That test seems to not compile.  A test that is supposed to not link
>> fails if it doesn't even get to the link stage.
>>
>> Why is this test labelled link-fail?
>> I don't know.  Jeremy?
>
> That's not the meaning of the original link-fail test: we started
> off with compile-fail, but because some compilers don't instantiate
> templates until link time, we had to introduce link-fail to mean:
> "either this doesn't compile, or it compiles but doesn't link".
> Obviously the meaning got lost somewhere.  

I intentionally changed it because it seemed as though a test which
was supposed to fail to link, but which fails to compile should not be
deemed a success.  I think I did this by analogy with run-fail, where
we were masking some actual compile-time failures which should not
have been registered as successes.  

Of course we seem to have no tests which are really expected to fail
linking anymore...

> BTW I could use an equivalent run-fail test for boost-config,
> meaning: "this file either doesn't compile, link, or run", which is
> of course the opposite of the current run-fail.  So a better naming
> convention is required all round :-)

Wow, that sounds like a pretty unreliable test.  There are so many
ways things can go wrong, and you want to accept any of them?

Maybe we need some platform/compiler-dependent configuration which
chooses the appropriate criterion for success.
-- 
                       David Abrahams
   dave_at_[hidden] * http://www.boost-consulting.com
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