Re: [jamboost] Test arguments and input files docs?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-02-01 09:04:22

Beman Dawes <bdawes_at_[hidden]> writes:

> Regression test programs can be passed arguments, and can have input files.
>
> Is this documented anywhere?
>
> The only documentation I found was in some comments in status/Jamfile:
>
> test-suite config
> : [ run libs/config/test/config_test.cpp
> <lib>../libs/test/build/boost_test_exec_monitor
> : #args
> : #input-files
> : #requirements
> <threading>multi
> ]
> ...

Not as well as it should be, but testing.jam shows the signature:

rule run ( sources + : args * : input-files * : requirements * : name ? : default-build * )

> But the #input-files argument location differs from an actual working 
> Jamfile:
>
> test-suite regex
> : [ run regress/parse.cpp regress/regress.cpp regress/tests.cpp
> <lib>../build/boost_regex
> <lib>../../test/build/boost_prg_exec_monitor
> :
> $(test-files)
> :
> :
> <define>BOOST_REGEX_NO_LIB=1
> <define>BOOST_REGEX_STATIC_LINK=1
> <threading>multi
> :
> regress ]

That's because, for whatever reason, John chose to ignore the
input-files argument and sick the test files into the unparsed
command-line arguments. In doing so, he gives up important
advantages, including the ability to specify the input files with a
path relative to the Jamfile directory, and most importantly, a build
dependency that causes the tests to be re-run when the input files
have changed.

> This came up in some conversations with the Spirit folks, who are in 
> process of integrating Spirit with the regular Boost regression testing.

I'm really glad we'll have spirit tests in the suite soon!
I guess I really should get the Python tests integrated, hm?
-- 
David Abrahams
dave_at_[hidden] * http://www.boost-consulting.com
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