Re: [Boost-users] Boost Test usage

From: Gennadiy Rozental (gennadiy.rozental_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-07-17 12:16:50

"Matt Schuckmann" <matt_at_[hidden]> wrote in message 
news:e98n9a$m1v$1_at_sea.gmane.org...
> Gennadiy Rozental wrote:
>> "Matt Schuckmann" <matt_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
>> news:44B6DA44.8020305_at_schuckmannacres.com...
>>> I've been looking into using the boost test library to start testing
>>> some of our code and it looks pretty good. I've gone through the
>>> documentation and several of the examples and there are a couple of
>>> things I don't really get
>>
>> So I  gather you are using boost 1.33.1, right?
>
> Actually our production code uses boost 1.32.0 and that's what I'm
> testing out right now. I've downloaded 1.33.1 I can probably use 1.33.1
> for the test library without to much trouble if it's worth it. Is it
> worth it it?

Yes. 1.33.1 has a lot of improvements.

>>
>>> I don't see how the test_suite class lets you create do anything special
>>> with regards to building multi-level tests, none of the examples really
>>> show multilevel test hierarchy and how it really helps me.
>>
>> There is a unit_test_example3 that builds multilevel hierarhy.
>
> IMO Example 3 doesn't really show building a multilevel hierarchy it
> just shows how to derive from test_suite and add that to the master
> test_suite. Yes you could create multiple test_suites and add them
> together in interesting ways but what does that buy you? is it worth it?
> You must have had a reason for implementing it.

The reasons for bundling test cases in test suites are beyond Boost.Test. 
Boost.Test just provide this ability. Primarily it's a way to organize your 
tests, t obe able to see reports by particular subsystem.

>>
>>> It looks like
>>> it's really just a way of using a class to group test functions instead
>>> of a series of free functions, am I missing something here?
>>
>> test_suite is subclass of test_case. You could use method "add" to build
>> hierahies.
>>
>>> I really expected more from a feature like this, I'm thinking of things
>>> like
>>>    Command line control over which test suites to run, I mean you name
>>> the test suites but you don't appear to do anything with that name
>>
>> Run by name is planned to be implemented in 1.35
>>
>>>    Reporting success and failure grouped by test suite
>>
>> You could use --report_level=detailed for that
>>
>
> Now that I see the detailed report level I see some use for hierarchy's,
> maybe the documentation should mention this and provide some example
> output.

I will see if something could be done in this regards.

> It took me a while to find the command line documentation you might
> consider making it stand out more in the documentation and maybe even
> add a standard "-h --help" option so that the test executables are self

Yes. That's the plan.

> documenting, if your using boost::program_options this is pretty easy.

I won't be using boost::program_options

Gennadiy