Test::Debugger - Create Test Scripts which Generate Log Files

  use Test::Debugger;
  plan(tests => 1, log_file => 'test.log');
  ok($actual, $expected, $message, $error);

  # OR Object-Oriented

  use Test::Debugger;
  my $t = Test::Debugger->new(
      tests    => 1,
      log_file => 'test.log',
  );

  # set the order of the parameters passed to 'ok'
  $t->param_order('ok' => [qw(self expected actual message error)]);

  $t->ok($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);
  $t->todo($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);
  $t->skip($because, $expected, $actual, $description, $error);

  $t->ok_ne($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);
  $t->ok_gt($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);
  $t->ok_ge($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);
  $t->ok_lt($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);
  $t->ok_le($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);
  $t->ok_re($expected, $actual, $description, $error_message);

Have you ever tried to debug a test script that is failing tests? Without too many modifications, your test script can generate a log file with information about each failed test.

You can take your existing test script, and with (hopefully) very little effort, convert it to use Test::Debugger. Then re-run your modified test and view the log file it creates.

Test::Debugger can be run using exported subroutines, or using an object-oriented interface.

The object-oriented interface allows for easier access to some types of functionality, such as comparision operators other than 'eq'.

You start by creating a test object.

  my $t = Test::Debugger->new(%params);

The new method calls plan automatically, so you can pass your plan parameters directly to new.

The three most basic methods are ok, todo and skip. You can rearrange the order of the parameters to these methods by running param_order. You must run param_order for the testing subroutines to work as methods.

  $t->param_order('ok' => ['self', 'actual', 'expected']);

The key here is the word self. The default param order does not include self as a valid parameter. The example above sets the valid parameters to pass to ok, including the test object, the value we are testing, and the value we expect it to match against.

A parameter order need only be assigned for ok. The todo and skip methods will mimic the order assigned for ok, if they are undefined.

Now we can set up our tests:

  $t->ok($actual, $expected);

An explanation of each method can be found further down in this document.

The interface for Test::Debugger is based loosely on the interface for Test.pm. You have four subroutines exported into your namespace: plan, ok, skip, and todo.

You should plan, but it is not as strictly enforced as in Test.pm.

The default order of arguments to ok and todo is:

  ok($actual, $expected, $message, $error, $operator);

You must supply at least an $actual value, and you should supply the first three parameters. You can change the order of the parameters with param_order.

I generally name my test log file 'test.log', and add an entry to my Makefile.PL to remove it on 'make clean'.

  WriteMakefile(
      ...
      'clean' => {
          'FILES' => 'test.log',
      },
  );

If a test fails, is skipped, or is marked todo (and fails), an entry is made to the log file. Each entry looks similar to this:

  t/todo.t 1 TODO.
  should fail as TODO
  ### Expected ###
  1
  ### Actual Results ###
  0

The first part is the name of the test file. The number is the subtest within the test file. The word TODO means that this test was not expected to succeed, because code it relies on is not finished. This word could also have been FAILED or SKIPPED.

On the second line, we see the $message provided to the test. We would see the $error on the third line, if that had been provided.

Then the expected value and the actual value are displayed. An extra newline is appended to the actual value, in the log file, so that there is a blank line between entries.

If the test log file is not sufficient to debug your code, or your test, you may enable the note subroutine of Devel::Messenger and write to another file, perhaps called something like 'debug.txt'.

  use Devel::Messenger qw(note);
  local *Test::Debugger::note = note { output => 'debug.txt' };

Test::Debugger will note the test it is working on. You can then place notes in your module, and they will be grouped by test number.

Most methods may be called as a subroutine, rather than as a method.

new

Creates a new Test::Debugger instance and returns a handle to that instance. Accepts a HASH of parameters, which is passed to the plan method.

Not available as a subroutine.

next_test_number

Takes a number to store internally as the next test number.

  $t->next_test_number(1);

  $next_test = $t->next_test_number();

Returns the number of the next test to be run.

param_order

Allows you to specify in which order you shall submit parameters.

  $t->param_order($method => \@order);

The key words allowed in the @order array are:

  self      Test::Debugger object
  expected  the value you expect to get
  actual    the value you are testing
  message   description of the test
  error     an error message to log
  operator  Perl comparison operator

You may include as many or few of these items as parameters, as long as actual is always present.

plan

Sets up some internal variables, such as where to log errors.

  $t->plan(
      'skip'             => $because,
      'skip_message'     => $explanation,
      'tests'            => $total_number_of_tests,
      'todo'             => [@tests_to_skip],
      'log_file'         => $filename,
      'start'            => $number,
      'param_order'      => {
	  'ok' => ['actual', 'expected', 'message', 'error'],
      },
  );

If you do not include a tests parameter, you must print the line:

  "1..$number\n"

Otherwise Test::Harness will not know how many tests there are.

If the $because of the skip parameter is true, the entire test file will be skipped.

ok

Takes parameters which may include a Test::Debugger object handle, an actual value, expected value, description of the test, error message, and the Perl comparision operator to use.

See param_order for information on specifying the order of parameters.

Compares the actual and expected values (or determines the truth if only the actual value is specified in param_order). Prints "ok $number\n" on success, or "not ok $number $message\n" on failure.

  $t->param_order('ok' => ['self', 'expected', 'actual', 'message']);
  $t->ok('Test::Debugger',ref($t),'testing value of ref');

An expected value of qr/regex/ will try to match $actual =~ qr/regex/.

  $t->ok(qr/help/, 'help me', 'testing regex');

Returns true if the test does not fail.

ok_<operator>

Takes the same arguments as ok. Prints the same output as ok. Allows for the use of operators other than 'eq' to compare expected and actual values. Available operators are:

  ne  not equal
  gt  greater than
  ge  greater than or equal to
  lt  less than
  le  less than or equal to
  re  regualar expression

Each operator is converted to the numeric equivalent if both arguments contain nothing other than numbers.

Not available as subroutines.

skip

Skips a single test if a condition is met.

  $t->skip($because, $expected, $actual, $description);

Prints "ok $number skip: $description\n", if $because is true. Returns true if the test succeeds, or if it is skipped.

todo

Skips a single test, or marks it TODO, because you are still working on the underlying code.

  $t->todo($expected, $actual, $description);

Output depends on the version of Test::Harness you are using. Always returns true.

Nathan Gray - kolibrie@southernvirginia.edu

Test::Debugger is Copyright (c) 2003 Nathan Gray. All rights reserved.

You may distribute under the terms of either the GNU General Public License, or the Perl Artistic License.

perl(1), Test::Harness(3), Devel::Messenger(3).