test::simple(3)
NAME
Test::Simple - Basic utilities for writing tests.
SYNOPSIS
use Test::Simple tests => 1; ok( $foo eq $bar, 'foo is bar' );
DESCRIPTION
** If you are unfamiliar with testing read Test::Tutorial
first! **
This is an extremely simple, extremely basic module for
writing tests suitable for CPAN modules and other pur
suits. If you wish to do more complicated testing, use
the Test::More module (a drop-in replacement for this
one).
The basic unit of Perl testing is the ok. For each thing
you want to test your program will print out an "ok" or
"not ok" to indicate pass or fail. You do this with the
ok() function (see below).
- The only other constraint is you must pre-declare how many
tests you plan to run. This is in case something goes
horribly wrong during the test and your test program
aborts, or skips a test or whatever. You do this like so: - use Test::Simple tests => 23;
- You must have a plan.
- ok
- ok( $foo eq $bar, $name );
ok( $foo eq $bar ); - ok() is given an expression (in this case "$foo eq
$bar"). If it's true, the test passed. If it's
false, it didn't. That's about it. - ok() prints out either "ok" or "not ok" along with a
test number (it keeps track of that for you).
# This produces "ok 1 - Hell not yet frozen over"- (or not ok)
ok( get_temperature($hell) > 0, 'Hell not yet frozen - over' );
- If you provide a $name, that will be printed along
with the "ok/not ok" to make it easier to find your
test when if fails (just search for the name). It
also makes it easier for the next guy to understand
what your test is for. It's highly recommended you
use test names. - All tests are run in scalar context. So this:
ok( @stuff, 'I have some stuff' );- will do what you mean (fail if stuff is empty)
- Test::Simple will start by printing number of tests run in
the form "1..M" (so "1..5" means you're going to run 5
tests). This strange format lets Test::Harness know how
many tests you plan on running in case something goes hor
ribly wrong. - If all your tests passed, Test::Simple will exit with zero
(which is normal). If anything failed it will exit with
how many failed. If you run less (or more) tests than you
planned, the missing (or extras) will be considered fail
ures. If no tests were ever run Test::Simple will throw a
warning and exit with 255. If the test died, even after
having successfully completed all its tests, it will still
be considered a failure and will exit with 255. - So the exit codes are...
0 all tests successful
255 test died
any other number how many failed (including missing- or extras)
- If you fail more than 254 tests, it will be reported as
254. - This module is by no means trying to be a complete testing
system. It's just to get you started. Once you're off
the ground its recommended you look at Test::More.
EXAMPLE
- Here's an example of a simple .t file for the fictional
Film module. - use Test::Simple tests => 5;
- use Film; # What you're testing.
- my $btaste = Film->new({ Title => 'Bad Taste',
Director => 'Peter Jackson',
Rating => 'R',
NumExplodingSheep => 1 - });
- ok( defined($btaste) and ref $btaste eq 'Film',
- 'new() works' );
- ok( $btaste->Title eq 'Bad Taste', 'Title()
- get' );
ok( $btaste->Director eq 'Peter Jackson', 'Direc - tor() get' );
ok( $btaste->Rating eq 'R', 'Rating() - get' );
ok( $btaste->NumExplodingSheep == 1, 'NumEx - plodingSheep() get' );
- It will produce output like this:
1..5
ok 1 - new() works
ok 2 - Title() get
ok 3 - Director() get
not ok 4 - Rating() get
# Failed test (t/film.t at line 14)
ok 5 - NumExplodingSheep() get
# Looks like you failed 1 tests of 5- Indicating the Film::Rating() method is broken.
CAVEATS
Test::Simple will only report a maximum of 254 failures in
its exit code. If this is a problem, you probably have a
huge test script. Split it into multiple files. (Other
wise blame the Unix folks for using an unsigned short
integer as the exit status).
- Because VMS's exit codes are much, much different than the
rest of the universe, and perl does horrible mangling to
them that gets in my way, it works like this on VMS. - 0 SS$_NORMAL all tests successful
4 SS$_ABORT something went wrong - Unfortunately, I can't differentiate any further.
NOTES
Test::Simple is explicitly tested all the way back to perl
5.004.
Test::Simple is thread-safe in perl 5.8.0 and up.
HISTORY
This module was conceived while talking with Tony Bowden
in his kitchen one night about the problems I was having
writing some really complicated feature into the new Test
ing module. He observed that the main problem is not
dealing with these edge cases but that people hate to
write tests at all. What was needed was a dead simple
module that took all the hard work out of testing and was
really, really easy to learn. Paul Johnson simultaneously
had this idea (unfortunately, he wasn't in Tony's
kitchen). This is it.
SEE ALSO
- Test::More
- More testing functions! Once you outgrow Test::Sim
ple, look at Test::More. Test::Simple is 100% forward
compatible with Test::More (i.e. you can just use
Test::More instead of Test::Simple in your programs
and things will still work). - Test
- The original Perl testing module.
- Test::Unit
- Elaborate unit testing.
- Test::Inline, SelfTest
- Embed tests in your code!
- Test::Harness
- Interprets the output of your test program.
AUTHORS
Idea by Tony Bowden and Paul Johnson, code by Michael G
Schwern <schwern@pobox.com>, wardrobe by Calvin Klein.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2001 by Michael G Schwern <schwern@pobox.com>.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it
and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
- See http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html