path: root/doc/tcltest.n

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.so man.macros
.TH "tcltest" n 8.4 Tcl "Tcl Built-In Commands"
.BS
'\" Note:  do not modify the .SH NAME line immediately below!
.SH NAME
tcltest \- Test harness support code and utilities
.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBpackage require tcltest ?2.0?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::test \fIname desc ?option value? ?option value? ...\fR
.br
\fBtcltest::test \fIname desc {?option value? ?option value? ...}\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::cleanupTests \fI?runningMultipleTests?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::runAllTests\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::interpreter \fI?interp?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::singleProcess \fI?boolean?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::debug \fI?level?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::verbose \fI?levelList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::preserveCore \fI?level?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::testConstraint \fIconstraint ?value?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::limitConstraints \fI?constraintList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::workingDirectory \fI?dir?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::temporaryDirectory \fI?dir?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::testsDirectory \fI?dir?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::match \fI?patternList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::matchFiles \fI?patternList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::matchDirectories \fI?patternList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::skip \fI?patternList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::skipFiles \fI?patternList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::skipDirectories \fI?patternList?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::loadTestedCommands\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::loadScript \fI?script?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::loadFile \fI?filename?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::outputChannel \fI?channelID?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::outputFile \fI?filename?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::errorChannel \fI?channelID?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::errorFile \fI?filename?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::makeFile \fIcontents name ?directory?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::removeFile \fIname ?directory?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::makeDirectory \fIname ?directory?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::removeDirectory \fIname ?directory?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::viewFile \fIname ?directory?\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::normalizeMsg \fImsg\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::normalizePath \fIpathVar\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::bytestring \fIstring\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::saveState\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::restoreState\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::threadReap\fR
.sp
\fBtcltest::mainThread\fR
.BE
.SH DESCRIPTION
.PP
The \fBtcltest\fR package provides the user with utility tools for
writing and running tests in the Tcl test suite.  It can also be used
to create a customized test harness for an extension. 
.PP
The Tcl test suite consists of multiple .test files, each of which
contains multiple test cases.  Each test case consists of a call to
the test command, which specifies the name of  test, a short
description, any constraints that apply to the test case, the script
to be run, and expected results.  See the \fI"Tests"\fR section for more
details. 
.PP
It is also possible to add to this test harness to create your own
customized test harness implementation.  For more defails, see the
section \fI"How to Customize the Test Harness"\fR.
.SH COMMANDS
.TP
\fBtcltest::test\fR \fIname desc ?option value? ?option value? ...\fR
.TP
\fBtcltest::test\fR \fIname desc {?option value? ?option value? ...}\fR
The \fBtcltest::test\fR command runs the value supplied for attribute
\fIscript\fR and compares its result to possible results.  
It prints an error message if actual results and expected results do
not match, or if an error occurs during evaluation of the \fIscript\fR.
The \fBtcltest::test\fR command returns an empty string.  See the
\fI"Tests"\fR section for more details on this command.   
.TP
\fBtcltest::cleanupTests\fR \fI?calledFromAllFile?\fR
This command should be called at the end of a test file.  It prints
statistics about the tests run and removes files that were created by
\fBtcltest::makeDirectory\fR and \fBtcltest::makeFile\fR.  Names
of files and directories created outside of 
\fBtcltest::makeFile\fR and \fBtcltest::makeDirectory\fR and
never deleted are printed to \fBtcltest::outputChannel\fR.  This command
also restores the original shell environment, as described by the ::env
array. \fIcalledFromAllFile\fR should be specified as a true value if
\fBtcltest::cleanupTests\fR is called explicitly from an "all.tcl"
file.  Tcl files are generally used to run multiple tests.  The
\fBtcltest::cleanupTests\fR command returns an empty string.  For
more details on how to run multiple tests, please see the section
\fI"Running test files"\fR.  
.TP
\fBtcltest::runAllTests\fR
This command should be used in your 'all.tcl' file.  It is used to
loop over test files and directories, determining which test files to
run and then running them.  Note that this test calls
tcltest::cleanupTests; if using this proc in your 'all.tcl' file, you
should not call tcltest::cleanupTests explicitly in that file. See the
sample 'all.tcl' file in the \fI"Examples"\fR section.
.TP
\fBtcltest::interpreter\fR \fI?executableName?\fR
Sets or returns the name of the executable used to invoke the test
suite. This is the interpreter used in runAllTests to run test files
if singleProcess is set to false.  The default value for interpreter
is the name of the interpreter in which the tests were started.  
.TP
\fBtcltest::singleProcess\fR \fI?boolean?\fR
Sets or returns a boolean indicating whether test files should be sourced
into the current interpreter by runAllTests or run in their own
processes. If \fIboolean\fR is true (1), tests are sourced into the
current interpreter.  If \fIboolean\fR is false (0), tests are run in
the interpreter specified in tcltest::interpreter.  The default value
for tcltest::singleProcess is false.
.TP
\fBtcltest::debug\fR \fI?level?\fR
Sets or returns the current debug level. The debug level determines
how much tcltest package debugging information is printed to stdout.
The default debug level is 0. Levels are defined as:
.RS
.IP 0
Do not display any debug information.
.IP 1
Display information regarding whether a test is skipped because it
doesn't match any of the tests that were specified using -match or
tcltest::match (userSpecifiedNonMatch) or matches any of the tests
specified by -skip or tcltest::skip (userSpecifiedSkip).  
.IP 2
Display the flag array parsed by the command line processor, the
contents of the ::env array, and all user-defined variables that exist
in the current namespace as they are used.
.IP 3
Display information regarding what individual procs in the test
harness are doing.
.RE
.TP
\fBtcltest::verbose\fR \fI?levelList?\fR
Sets or returns the current verbosity level.  The default verbosity
level is "body".   See the "Test output" section for a more detailed
explanation of this option. Levels are defined as: 
.RS
.IP body
Display the body of failed tests
.IP pass
Print output when a test passes
.IP skip
Print output when a test is skipped
.IP start
Print output whenever a test starts
.IP error
Print errorInfo and errorCode, if they exist, when a test return code
does not match its expected return code
.RE
.TP
\fBtcltest::preserveCore\fR \fI?level?\fR
Sets or returns the current core preservation level.  This level
determines how stringent checks for core files are.  The default core
preservation level is 0.  Levels are defined as:
.RS
.IP 0
No checking - do not check for core files at the end of each test
command, but do check for them whenever tcltest::cleanupTests is
called from tcltest::runAllTests. 
.IP 1
Check for core files at the end of each test command and whenever
tcltest::cleanupTests is called from tcltest::runAllTests.
.IP 2
Check for core files at the end of all test commands and whenever
tcltest::cleanupTests is called from all.tcl.  Save any core files
produced in tcltest::temporaryDirectory.
.RE
.TP
\fBtcltest::testConstraint \fIconstraint ?value?\fR
Sets or returns the value associated with the named \fIconstraint\fR.
See the section \fI"Test constraints"\fR for more information.
.TP
\fBtcltest::limitConstraints \fI?constraintList?\fR
Sets or returns a boolean indicating whether testing is being limited
to constraints listed in \fIconstraintList\fR.
If limitConstraints is not false, only those tests with constraints matching
values in \fIconstraintList\fR will be run.  
.TP
\fBtcltest::workingDirectory\fR \fI?directoryName?\fR
Sets or returns the directory in which the test suite is being run.
The default value for workingDirectory is the directory in which the
test suite was launched.
.TP
\fBtcltest::temporaryDirectory\fR \fI?directoryName?\fR
Sets or returns the output directory for temporary files created by
tcltest::makeFile and tcltest::makeDirectory. This defaults to the
directory returned by \fItcltest::workingDirectory\fR.
.TP
\fBtcltest::testsDirectory\fR \fI?directoryName?\fR
Sets or returns the directory where the tests reside.  This defaults
to the directory returned by \fItcltest::workingDirectory\fR
if the script cannot determine where the \fItests\fR directory is
located. This variable should be explicitly set if tests are being run
from an all.tcl file. 
.TP
\fBtcltest::match\fR \fI?globPatternList?\fR
Sets or returns the glob pattern list that determines which tests
should be run.  Only tests which match one of the glob patterns in
\fIglobPatternList\fR are run by the test harness.  The default value
for \fIglobPatternList\fR is '*'.
.TP
\fBtcltest::matchFiles\fR \fI?globPatternList?\fR
Sets or returns the glob pattern list that determines which test files
should be run.  Only test files which match one of the glob patterns in
\fIglobPatternList\fR are run by the test harness.  The default value
for \fIglobPatternList\fR is '*.test'.
.TP
\fBtcltest::matchDirectories\fR \fI?globPatternList?\fR
Sets or returns the glob pattern list that determines which test
subdirectories of the current test directory should be run.  Only test
subdirectories which match one of the glob patterns in 
\fIglobPatternList\fR are run by the test harness.  The default value
for \fIglobPatternList\fR is '*'.
.TP
\fBtcltest::skip\fR \fI?globPatternList?\fR
Sets or returns the glob pattern list that determines which tests (of
those matched by tcltest::match) should be skipped.  The default value
for \fIglobPatternList\fR is {}.
.TP
\fBtcltest::skipFiles\fR \fI?globPatternList?\fR
Sets or returns the glob pattern list that determines which test files
(of those matched by tcltest::matchFiles) should be skipped.  The
default value for \fIglobPatternList\fR is {}.
.TP
\fBtcltest::skipDirectories\fR \fI?globPatternList?\fR
Sets or returns the glob pattern list that determines which test
subdirectories (of those matched by tcltest::matchDirectories) should
be skipped.  The default value for \fIglobPatternList\fR is {}.
.TP
\fBtcltest::loadTestedCommands\fR
This command uses the script specified via the \fI-load\fR or
\fI-loadfile\fR options or the tcltest::loadScript or
tcltest::loadFile procs to load the commands checked by the test suite.
It is allowed to be empty, as the tested commands could have been
compiled into the interpreter running the test suite.
.TP
\fBtcltest::loadScript\fR \fI?script?\fR
Sets or returns the script executed by \fBloadTestedCommands\fR.   
.TP
\fBtcltest::loadFile\fR \fI?filename?\fR
Sets ore returns the file name associated with the script executed
\fBloadTestedCommands\fR.  If setting \fIfilename\fR, this proc will
open the file and call \fItcltest::loadScript\fR with the content.
.TP
\fBtcltest::outputChannel\fR \fI?channelID?\fR
Sets or returns the output file ID.  This defaults to stdout.
Any test that prints test related output should send
that output to \fItcltest::outputChannel\fR rather than letting
that output default to stdout.
.TP
\fBtcltest::outputFile\fR \fI?filename?\fR
Sets or returns the file name corresponding to the output file.  This
defaults to stdout. This proc calls 
outputChannel to set the output file channel.
Any test that prints test related output should send
that output to \fItcltest::outputChannel\fR rather than letting
that output default to stdout.
.TP
\fBtcltest::errorChannel\fR \fI?channelID?\fR
Sets or returns the error file ID.  This defaults to stderr.
Any test that prints error messages should send
that output to \fItcltest::errorChannel\fR rather than printing
directly to stderr.
.TP
\fBtcltest::errorFile\fR \fI?filename?\fR
Sets or returns the file name corresponding to the error file.  This
defaults to stderr. This proc calls
errorChannel to set the error file channel.
Any test that prints test related error output should send
that output to \fItcltest::errorChannel\fR or
\fItcltest::outputChannel\fR rather than letting
that output default to stdout.
.TP
\fBtcltest::makeFile\fR \fIcontents name ?directory?\fR
Create a file that will be automatically be removed by
\fBtcltest::cleanupTests\fR at the end of a test file.  This file is
created relative to \fIdirectory\fR.  If left unspecified,
\fIdirectory\fR defaults to tcltest::temporaryDirectory.
Returns the full path of the file created.
.TP
\fBtcltest::removeFile\fR \fIname ?directory?\fR
Force the file referenced by \fIname\fR to be removed.  This file name
should be relative to \fIdirectory\fR.   If left unspecified,
\fIdirectory\fR defaults to tcltest::temporaryDirectory.  This proc
has no defined return values.
.TP
\fBtcltest::makeDirectory\fR \fIname ?directory?\fR
Create a directory named \fIname\fR that will automatically be removed
by \fBtcltest::cleanupTests\fR at the end of a test file.  This
directory is created relative to tcltest::temporaryDirectory.
Returns the full path of the directory created.
.TP
\fBtcltest::removeDirectory\fR \fIname\fR
Force the directory referenced by \fIname\fR to be removed. This
directory should be relative to \fIdirectory\fR.   If left unspecified,
\fIdirectory\fR defaults to tcltest::temporaryDirectory.  This proc
has no defined return value. 
.TP
\fBtcltest::viewFile\fR \fIfile ?directory?\fR
Returns the contents of \fIfile\fR.  This file name
should be relative to \fIdirectory\fR.   If left unspecified,
\fIdirectory\fR defaults to tcltest::temporaryDirectory.
.TP
\fBtcltest::normalizeMsg\fR \fImsg\fR
Remove extra newlines from \fImsg\fR.
.TP
\fBtcltest::normalizePath\fR \fIpathVar\fR
Resolves symlinks in a path, thus creating a path without internal
redirection.  It is assumed that \fIpathVar\fR is absolute.
\fIpathVar\fR is modified in place.
.TP
\fBtcltest::bytestring\fR \fIstring\fR
Construct a string that consists of the requested sequence of bytes,
as opposed to a string of properly formed UTF-8 characters using the
value supplied in \fIstring\fR.  This allows the tester to create
denormalized or improperly formed strings to pass to C procedures that
are supposed to accept strings with embedded NULL types and confirm
that a string result has a certain pattern of bytes.
.TP
\fBtcltest::saveState\fR
Save procedure and global variable names.
A test file might contain calls to \fBtcltest::saveState\fR and
\fB::tcltest:restoreState\fR if it creates or deletes global variables
or procs. 
.TP
\fBtcltest::restoreState\fR
Restore procedure and global variable names.
A test file might contain calls to \fBtcltest::saveState\fR and
\fB::tcltest:restoreState\fR if it creates or deletes global variables
or procs. 
.TP
\fBtcltest::threadReap\fR
\fBtcltest::threadReap\fR only works if \fItestthread\fR is
defined, generally by compiling tcltest.  If \fItestthread\fR is
defined, \fBtcltest::threadReap\fR kills all threads except for the
main thread.  It gets the ID of the main thread by calling
\fItestthread names\fR during initialization.  This value is stored in
\fItcltest::mainThread\fR. \fBtcltest::threadReap\fR returns the
number of existing threads at completion.
.TP
\fBtcltest::mainThread\fR
Sets or returns the main thread ID.  This defaults to 1.  This is the
only thread that is not killed by tcltest::threadReap and is set
according to the return value of \fItestthread names\fR at
initialization. 
.SH TESTS
The \fBtest\fR procedure runs a test script and prints an error
message if the script's result does not match the expected result.
Two syntaxes are provided for specifying the attributes of the tests.
The first uses a separate argument for each of the attributes and
values.  The second form places all of the attributes and values
together into a single argument; the argument must have proper list
structure, with teh elements of the list being the attributes and
values.  The second form makes it easy to construct multi-line
scripts, since the braces around the whole list make it unnecessary to
include a backslash at the end of each line.  In the second form, no
command or variable substitutions are performed on the attribute
names.  This makes the behavior of the second form different from the
first form in some cases.
.PP
The first form for the \fBtest\fR command:
.DS
test \fIname\fR \fIdescription\fR
    ?-constraints \fIkeywordList|expression\fR
    ?-setup \fIsetupScript\fR?
    ?-body \fItestScript\fR?
    ?-cleanup \fIcleanupScript\fR?
    ?-result \fIexpectedAnswer\fR?
    ?-output \fIexpectedOutput\fR?
    ?-errorOutput \fIexpectedError\fR?
    ?-returnCodes \fIcodeList\fR?
    ?-match \fIexact|glob|regexp\fR?
.DE
.PP
The second form for the \fBtest\fR command (adds brace grouping):
.DS
test \fIname\fR \fIdescription\fR {
    ?-constraints \fIkeywordList|expression\fR
    ?-setup \fIsetupScript\fR?
    ?-body \fItestScript\fR?
    ?-cleanup \fIcleanupScript\fR?
    ?-result \fIexpectedAnswer\fR?
    ?-output\fIexpectedOutput\fR?
    ?-errorOutput \fIexpectedError\fR?
    ?-returnCodes \fIcodeList\fR?
    ?-match \fIexact|glob|regexp\fR?
}
.DE
The \fIname\fR argument should follow the pattern:
.DS
<target>-<majorNum>.<minorNum>
.DE
For white-box (regression) tests, the target should be the name of the
C function or Tcl procedure being tested.  For black-box tests, the
target should be the name of the feature being tested.  Related tests
should share a major number.
.PP
The \fIdescription\fR should be a short textual description of the
test.  It is generally used to help humans 
understand the purpose of the test.  The name of a Tcl or C function
being tested should be included in the description for regression
tests.  If the test case exists to reproduce a bug, include the bug ID
in the description. 
.PP
Valid attributes and associated values are:
.TP
\fB-constraints \fIkeywordList|expression\fR
The optional \fIconstraints\fR attribute can be list of one or more
keywords or an expression.  If the \fIconstraints\fR value consists of
keywords, each of these keywords being the name of a constraint
defined by a call to \fItcltest::testConstraint\fR.  If any of these
elements is false or does 
not exist, the test is skipped.  If the \fIconstraints\fR argument
consists of an expression, that expression is evaluated. If the
expression evaluates to true, then the test is run.  Appropriate
constraints should be added to any tests that should
not always be run.  See the "Test Constraints" section for a list of built-in 
constraints and information on how to add your own constraints.
.TP
\fB-setup \fIscript\fR
The optional \fIsetup\fR attribute indicates a script that will be run
before the script indicated by the \fIscript\fR attribute.  If setup
fails, the test will fail.
.TP
\fB-body \fIscript\fR
The \fIbody\fR attribute indicates the script to run to carry out the 
test.  It must return a result that can be checked for correctness.
If left unspecified, the script value will be {}.
.TP
\fB-cleanup \fIscript\fR
The optional \fIcleanup\fR attribute indicates a script that will be
run after the script indicated by the \fIscript\fR attribute.  If
cleanup fails, the test will fail.  
.TP
\fB-match \fIregexp|glob|exact\fR
The \fImatch\fR attribute determines how expected answers supplied in
\fIresult\fR, \fIoutput\fR, and \fIerrorOutput\fR are compared.  Valid
options for the value supplied are ``regexp'', ``glob'', and
``exact''. If \fImatch\fR is not specified, the comparisons will be
done in ``exact'' mode by default.
.TP
\fB-result \fIexpectedValue\fR
The \fIresult\fR attribute supplies the comparison value with which
the return value from script will be compared. 
If left unspecified, the default
\fIexpectedValue\fR will be the empty list.
.TP
\fB-output \fIexpectedValue\fR
The \fIoutput\fR attribute supplies the comparison value with which
any output sent to stdout or tcltest::outputChannel during the script
run will be compared.  Note that only output printed using
puts is used for comparison.  If \fIoutput\fR is not specified, output
sent to stdout and tcltest::outputChannel is not processed for comparison.
.TP
\fB-errorOutput \fIexpectedValue\fR
The \fIerrorOutput\fR attribute supplies the comparison value with which
any output sent to stderr or tcltest::errorChannel during the script
run will be compared. Note that only output printed using
puts is used for comparison.  If \fIerrorOutput\fR is not specified, output
sent to stderr and tcltest::errorChannel is not processed for comparison.
.TP
\fB-returnCodes \fIexpectedCodeList\fR
The optional \fIreturnCodes\fR attribute indicates which return codes
from the script supplied with the \fIscript\fR attribute are correct.
Default values for \fIexpectedCodeList\fR are 0 (normal return) and 2
(return exception).  Symbolic values \fInormal\fR (0), \fIerror\fR
(1), \fIreturn\fR (2), \fIbreak\fR (3), and \fIcontinue\fR (4) can be
used in the \fIexpectedCodeList\fR list.
.PP
To pass, a test must successfully execute its setup, script, and
cleanup code.  The return code of the test and its return values must
match expected values, and if specified, output and error data from
the test must match expected output and error values. If all of these
conditions are not met, then the test fails.
.SH "TEST CONSTRAINTS"
Constraints are used to determine whether or not a test should be skipped.
If a test is constrained by ``unixOnly'', then it will only be run if
the value of the constraint is true.  Several
constraints are defined in the \fBtcltest\fR package.  To add 
constraints, you can call \fBtcltest::testConstraint\fR
with the appropriate arguments in your own test file.
.PP
The following is a list of constraints defined in the \fBtcltest\fR package:
.TP
\fIsingleTestInterp\fR
test can only be run if all test files are sourced into a single interpreter
.TP
\fIunix\fR
test can only be run on any UNIX platform
.TP
\fIwin\fR
test can only be run on any Windows platform
.TP
\fInt\fR
test can only be run on any Windows NT platform
.TP
\fI95\fR
test can only be run on any Windows 95 platform
.TP
\fI98\fR
test can only be run on any Windows 98 platform
.TP
\fImac\fR
test can only be run on any Mac platform
.TP
\fIunixOrWin\fR
test can only be run on a UNIX or Windows platform
.TP
\fImacOrWin\fR
test can only be run on a Mac or Windows platform
.TP
\fImacOrUnix\fR
test can only be run on a Mac or UNIX platform
.TP
\fItempNotWin\fR
test can not be run on Windows.  This flag is used to temporarily
disable a test. 
.TP
\fItempNotMac\fR
test can not be run on a Mac.  This flag is used
to temporarily disable a test.
.TP
\fIunixCrash\fR
test crashes if it's run on UNIX.  This flag is used to temporarily
disable a test. 
.TP
\fIwinCrash\fR
test crashes if it's run on Windows.  This flag is used to temporarily
disable a test. 
.TP
\fImacCrash\fR
test crashes if it's run on a Mac.  This flag is used to temporarily
disable a test. 
.TP
\fIemptyTest\fR
test is empty, and so not worth running, but it remains as a
place-holder for a test to be written in the future.  This constraint
always causes tests to be skipped.
.TP
\fIknownBug\fR
test is known to fail and the bug is not yet fixed.  This constraint
always causes tests to be skipped unless the user specifies otherwise.
See the "Introduction" section for more details.
.TP
\fInonPortable\fR
test can only be run in the master Tcl/Tk development environment.
Some tests are inherently non-portable because they depend on things
like word length, file system configuration, window manager, etc.
These tests are only run in the main Tcl development directory where
the configuration is well known.  This constraint always causes tests
to be skipped unless the user specifies otherwise.  
.TP
\fIuserInteraction\fR
test requires interaction from the user.  This constraint always
causes tests to be skipped unless the user specifies otherwise.  
.TP
\fIinteractive\fR
test can only be run in if the interpreter is in interactive mode 
(when the global tcl_interactive variable is set to 1).
.TP
\fInonBlockFiles\fR
test can only be run if platform supports setting files into
nonblocking mode 
.TP
\fIasyncPipeClose\fR
test can only be run if platform supports async flush and async close
on a pipe 
.TP
\fIunixExecs\fR
test can only be run if this machine has Unix-style commands
\fBcat\fR, \fBecho\fR, \fBsh\fR, \fBwc\fR, \fBrm\fR, \fBsleep\fR,
\fBfgrep\fR, \fBps\fR, \fBchmod\fR, and \fBmkdir\fR available
.TP
\fIhasIsoLocale\fR
test can only be run if can switch to an ISO locale
.TP
\fIroot\fR
test can only run if Unix user is root
.TP
\fInotRoot\fR
test can only run if Unix user is not root
.TP
\fIeformat\fR
test can only run if app has a working version of sprintf with respect
to the "e" format of floating-point numbers.
.TP
\fIstdio\fR
test can only be run if the current app can be spawned via a pipe
.SH "RUNNING TEST FILES"
Use the following command to run a test file that uses package
tcltest:
.DS
<shell> <testFile> ?<option> ?<value>?? ...
.DE
Command line options include (tcltest accessor procs that
correspond to each flag are listed at the end of each flag description
in parenthesis): 
.RS
.TP
\fB-help\fR
display usage information.
.TP
\fB-singleproc <bool>\fR
if <bool> is 0, run test files in separate interpreters.  if 1, source test
files into the current intpreter. (tcltest::singleProcess)
.TP
\fB-verbose <levelList>\fR
set the level of verbosity to a list containing 0 or more of "body",
"pass", "skip", "start", and "error".  See the "Test output" section
for an explanation of this option.  (tcltest::verbose)  
.TP
\fB-match <matchList>\fR
only run tests that match one or more of the glob patterns in
<matchList>.  (tcltest::match)
.TP
\fB-skip <skipList>\fR
do not run tests that match one or more of the glob patterns in
<skipList>.  (tcltest::skip)
.TP
\fB-file <globPatternList>\fR
only source test files that match any of the items in
<globPatternList> relative to tcltest::testsDirectory.  
This option
only makes sense if you are running tests using "all.tcl" as the
<testFile> instead of running single test files directly.
(tcltest::matchFiles) 
.TP
\fB-notfile <globPatternList>\fR
source files except for those that match any of the items in
<globPatternList> relative to tcltest::testsDirectory.
This option
only makes sense if you are running tests using "all.tcl" as the
<testFile> instead of running single test files directly.
(tcltest::skipFiles) 
.TP
\fB-relateddir <globPatternList>\fR
only run tests in directories that match any of the items in
<globPatternList> relative to tcltest::testsDirectory.  
This option
only makes sense if you are running tests using "all.tcl" as the
<testFile> instead of running single test files directly.
(tcltest::matchDirectories) 
.TP
\fB-asidefromdir <globPatternList>\fR
run tests in directories except for those that match any of the items in
<globPatternList> relative to tcltest::testsDirectory.
This option
only makes sense if you are running tests using "all.tcl" as the
<testFile> instead of running single test files directly.
(tcltest::skipDirectories) 
.TP
\fB-constraints <list>\fR
tests with any constraints in <list> will not be skipped.  Note that
elements of <list> must exactly match the existing constraints.  This
is useful if you want to make sure that tests with a particular
constraint are run (for example, if the tester wants to run all tests
with the knownBug constraint).
(tcltest::testConstraint)
.TP
\fB-limitconstraints <bool>\fR
If the argument to this flag is 1, the test harness limits test runs
to those tests that match the constraints listed by the -constraints
flag. Use of this flag requires use of the -constraints flag.  The
default value for this flag is 0 (false).  This is useful if you want
to run \fBonly\fR those tests that match the constraints listed using
the -constraints option.  A tester might want to do this if (for
example) he were
interested in running only those tests that are constrained to be
unixOnly and no other tests.
(tcltest::limitConstraints)
.TP
\fB-load <script>\fR
will use the specified script to load the commands under test
(tcltest::loadTestedCommands). The default is the empty
script. See -loadfile below too. (tcltest::loadScript)
.TP
\fB-loadfile <scriptfile>\fR
will use the contents of the named file to load the commands under
test (tcltest::loadTestedCommands). See -load above too. The default
is the empty script. (tcltest::loadFile)
.TP
\fB-tmpdir <directoryName>\fR
put any temporary files (created with tcltest::makeFile and
tcltest::makeDirectory) into the named directory.  The default
location is tcltest::workingDirectory.  (tcltest::temporaryDirectory)
.TP
\fB-testdir <directoryName>\fR
search the test suite to execute in the named directory.  The default
location is tcltest::workingDirectory.  (tcltest::testsDirectory)
.TP
\fB-preservecore <level>\fR
check for core files.  This flag is used to determine how much
checking should be done for core files.  (tcltest::preserveCore)
.TP
\fB-debug <debugLevel>\fR
print debug information to stdout.  This is used to debug code in the
tcltest package.  (tcltest::debug)
.TP
\fB-outfile <filename>\fR 
print output generated by the tcltest package to the named file.  This
defaults to stdout.  Note that debug output always goes to stdout,
regardless of this flag's setting.  (tcltest::outputFile)
.TP
\fB-errfile <filename>\fR
print errors generated by the tcltest package to the named file.  This
defaults to stderr.  (tcltest::errorFile)
.RE
.PP
You can specify any of the above options on the command line or by
defining an environment variable named TCLTEST_OPTIONS containing a
list of options (e.g. "-debug 3 -verbose 'pass skip'").  This 
environment variable is evaluated before the command line arguments.
Options specified on the command line override those specified in 
TCLTEST_OPTIONS. 
.PP
A second way to run tets is to start up a shell, load the
\fBtcltest\fR package, and then source an appropriate test file or use
the test command.  To use the options in interactive mode, set
their corresponding tcltest namespace variables after loading the
package.
.PP
See \fI"Test Constraints"\fR for a list of all built-in constraint names.
.PP
A final way to run tests would be to specify which test files to run
within an \fIall.tcl\fR (or otherwise named) file.  This is the
approach used by the Tcl test suite.  This file loads the tcltest
package, sets the location of
the test directory (tcltest::testsDirectory), and then calls the
\fItcltest::runAllTests\fR proc, which determines which test
files to run, how to run them, and calls tcltest::cleanupTests to
determine the summary status of the test suite.  
.PP
A more elaborate \fIall.tcl\fR file might do some pre- and
post-processing before sourcing 
each .test file, use separate interpreters for each file, or handle
complex directory structures.  
For an example of an all.tcl file,
please see the "Examples" section of this document.
.SH "TEST OUTPUT"
After all specified test files are run, the number of tests
passed, skipped, and failed is printed to
\fBtcltest::outputChannel\fR.  Aside from this 
statistical information, output can be controlled on a per-test basis
by the \fBtcltest::verbose\fR variable.
.PP
\fBtcltest::verbose\fR can be set to any combination of "body", 
"skip", "pass", "start", or "error".  The default value of
\fBtcltest::verbose\fR is "body".  If "body"  is present, then the
entire body of the test is printed for each failed test, otherwise
only the test's name, desired output, and 
actual output, are printed for each failed test.  If "pass" is present,
then a line is printed for each passed test, otherwise no line is
printed for passed tests.  If "skip" is present, then a line (containing
the consraints that cause the test to be skipped) is printed for each
skipped test, otherwise no line is printed for skipped tests.  If "start"
is present, then a line is printed each time a new test starts.
If "error" is present, then the content of errorInfo and errorCode (if
they are defined) is printed for each test whose return code doesn't
match its expected return code.
.PP
You can set \fBtcltest::verbose\fR either interactively (after the
\fBtcltest\fR package has been loaded) or by using the command line
argument \fB-verbose\fR, for example:
.DS
tclsh socket.test -verbose 'body pass skip'
.DE
.SH "CONTENTS OF A TEST FILE"
Test files should begin by loading the \fBtcltest\fR package:
.DS
package require tcltest
namespace import -force tcltest::*
.DE
Test files should end by cleaning up after themselves and calling
\fBtcltest::cleanupTests\fR.  The \fBtcltest::cleanupTests\fR
procedure prints statistics about the number of tests that passed,
skipped, and failed, and removes all files that were created using the
\fBtcltest::makeFile\fR and \fBtcltest::makeDirectory\fR procedures.
.DS
# Remove files created by these tests
# Change to original working directory
# Unset global arrays
tcltest::cleanupTests
return
.DE
When naming test files, file names should end with a .test extension.
The names of test files that contain regression (or glass-box) tests
should correspond to the Tcl or C code file that they are testing.
For example, the test file for the C file "tclCmdAH.c" is "cmdAH.test".  
.SH "SELECTING TESTS FOR EXECUTION"
.PP
Normally, all the tests in a file are run whenever the file is
sourced.  An individual test will be skipped if one of the following
conditions is met:
.IP [1]
the \fIname\fR of the tests does not match (using glob style matching)
one or more elements in the \fBtcltest::match\fR variable
.IP [2]
the \fIname\fR of the tests matches (using glob style matching) one or
more elements in the \fBtcltest::skip\fR variable 
.IP [3]
the \fIconstraints\fR argument to the \fBtcltest::test\fR call, if
given, contains one or more false elements. 
.PP
You can set \fBtcltest::match\fR and/or \fBtcltest::skip\fR
either interactively (after the \fBtcltest\fR package has been
sourced), or by using the command line arguments \fB-match\fR and
\fB-skip\fR, for example: 
.PP
.CS
tclsh info.test -match '*-5.* *-7.*' -skip '*-7.1*'
.CE
.PP
Be sure to use the proper quoting convention so that your shell does
not perform the glob substitution on the match or skip patterns you
specify.
.PP
Predefined constraints (e.g. \fIknownBug\fR and \fInonPortable\fR) can be
overridden either interactively (after the \fBtcltest\fR package has been
sourced) by setting the proper constraint
or by using the \fB-constraints\fR command line option with the name of the
constraint in the argument.  The following example shows how to run
tests that are constrained by the \fIknownBug\fR and \fInonPortable\fR
restrictions:
.PP
.CS
tclsh all.tcl -constraints "knownBug nonPortable"
.CE
.PP
See the \fI"Constraints"\fR section for information about using
built-in constraints and adding new ones.
.PP
When tests are run from within an \fBall.tcl\fR file, all files with a
``\fI.test\fR'' extension are normally run.  An individual test file will
be skipped if one of the following conditions is met:
.IP [1]
the \fIname\fR of the test files does not match (using glob style matching)
one or more elements in the \fBtcltest::matchFiles\fR variable
.IP [2]
the \fIname\fR of the test file matches (using glob style matching) one or
more elements in the \fBtcltest::skipFiles\fR variable 
.PP
You can set \fBtcltest::matchFiles\fR and/or \fBtcltest::skipFiles\fR
either interactively (after the \fBtcltest\fR package has been
sourced), or by using the command line arguments \fB-file\fR and
\fB-notfile\fR, for example: 
.PP
.CS
tclsh info.test -file 'unix*.test' -notfile 'unixNotfy.test'
.CE
.PP
Additionally, if tests are run from within an 'all.tcl' containing a
call to \fBtcltest::runAllTests\fR, any subdirectory of
\fItcltest::testsDirectory\fR containing an 'all.tcl' file will also
be run.  Individual test subdirectories will be skipped if one of the
following conditions is met:
.IP [1]
the \fIname\fR of the directory does not match (using glob style matching)
one or more elements in the \fBtcltest::matchDirectories\fR variable
.IP [2]
the \fIname\fR of the directory matches (using glob style matching) one or
more elements in the \fBtcltest::skipDirectories\fR variable 
.PP
You can set \fBtcltest::matchDirectories\fR and/or \fBtcltest::skipDirectories\fR
either interactively (after the \fBtcltest\fR package has been
sourced), or by using the command line arguments \fB-relateddir\fR and
\fB-asidefromdir\fR, for example: 
.PP
.CS
tclsh info.test -relateddir 'subdir*' -asidefromdir 'subdir2'
.CE
.SH "HOW TO CUSTOMIZE THE TEST HARNESS"
To create your own custom test harness, create a .tcl file that contains your
namespace.  Within this file, require package \fBtcltest\fR.  Commands
that can be redefined to customize the test harness include:
.TP
\fBtcltest::PrintUsageInfoHook\fR
print additional usage information specific to your situation.
.TP
\fBtcltest::processCmdLineArgsFlagHook\fR
tell the test harness about additional flags that you want it to understand.
.TP
\fBtcltest::processCmdLineArgsHook\fR \fIflags\fR
process the additional flags that you told the harness about in
tcltest::processCmdLineArgsFlagHook.
.TP
\fBtcltest::initConstraintsHook\fR
used to add additional built-in constraints to those already defined
by \fBtcltest\fR.  
.TP
\fBtcltest::cleanupTestsHook\fR
do additional cleanup 
.PP
.PP
To add new flags to your customized test harness, redefine
\fBtcltest::processCmdLineArgsAddFlagHook\fR to define additional flags to be
parsed and \fBtcltest::processCmdLineArgsHook\fR to actually process them.
For example:
.DS
proc tcltest::processCmdLineArgsAddFlagHook {} {
    return [list -flag1 -flag2]
}

proc tcltest::processCmdLineArgsHook {flagArray} {
    array set flag $flagArray

    if {[info exists flag(-flag1)]} {
        # Handle flag1
    }

    if {[info exists flag(-flag2)]} {
        # Handle flag2
    }

    return
}
.DE
You may also want to add usage information for these flags.  This
information would be displayed whenever the user specifies -help.  To
define additional usage information, define your own
tcltest::PrintUsageInfoHook proc.  Within this proc, you should
print out additional usage information for any flags that you've
implemented. 
.PP
To add new built-in
constraints to the test harness, define your own version of
\fBtcltest::initConstraintsHook\fR. 
Within your proc, you can add to the \fBtcltest::testConstraints\fR array.
For example:
.DS
proc tcltest::initConstraintsHook {} {
    set tcltest::testConstraints(win95Or98) \\
            [expr {$tcltest::testConstraints(95) || \\
            $tcltest::testConstraints(98)}]
}
.DE
.PP
Finally, if you want to add additional cleanup code to your harness
you can define your own \fBtcltest::cleanupTestsHook\fR.  For example:
.DS
proc tcltest::cleanupTestsHook {} {
    # Add your cleanup code here
}
.DE
.SH EXAMPLES
.IP [1] 
A simple test file (foo.test)
.DS
package require tcltest
namespace import -force ::tcltest::*

test foo-1.1 {save 1 in variable name foo} -body {set foo 1} -result 1

tcltest::cleanupTests
return
.DE
.IP [2] 
A simple all.tcl
.DS
package require tcltest
namespace import -force ::tcltest::*

tcltest::testsDirectory [file dir [info script]]
tcltest::runAllTests

return
.DE
.IP [3] 
Running a single test
.DS
tclsh foo.test
.DE
.IP [4] 
Running multiple tests
.DS
tclsh all.tcl -file 'foo*.test' -notfile 'foo2.test'
.DE
.IP [5] 
A test that uses the unixOnly constraint and should only be
run on Unix
.DS
test getAttribute-1.1 {testing file permissions} {
    -constraints {unixOnly}
    -body {
        lindex [file attributes foo.tcl] 5
    }
    -result {00644}
}
.DE
.IP [6] 
A test containing an constraint expression that evaluates to true (a case where the test would be run) if it is being run on unix and if threads are not being tested
.DS
test testOnUnixWithoutThreads-1.1 {
    this test runs only on unix and only if we're not testing
    threads
} {
    -constraints {unixOnly && !testthread}
    -body {
        # some script goes here
    }
}
.DE

.SH "KNOWN ISSUES"
There are two known issues related to nested test commands.  
The first issue relates to the stack level in which test scripts are
executed.  Tests nested within other tests may be executed at the same
stack level as the outermost test.  For example, in the following test
code: 
.DS
test level-1.1 {level 1} {
    -body {
        test level-2.1 {level 2} {
        }
    }
}
.DE
any script executed in level-2.1 may be executed at the same stack
level as the script defined for level-1.1.  
.PP
In addition, while two
test commands have been run, results will only be reported for tests
at the same level as test level-1.1.  However, test results for all
tests run prior to level-1.1 will be available when test level-2.1
runs.  What this means is that if you try to access the test results
for test level-2.1, it will may say that 'm' tests have run, 'n' tests
have been skipped, 'o' tests have passed and 'p' tests have failed,
where 'm', 'n', 'o', and 'p' refer to tests that were run at the same
test level as test level-1.1. 
.PP
Implementation of output and error comparison in the test command
depends on usage of puts in your application code.  Output is
intercepted by redefining the puts command while the defined test
script is being run.  Errors thrown by C procedures or printed
directly from C applications will not be caught by the test command.
Therefore, usage of expect_out and expect_err in the test command is
useful only for pure Tcl applications that use the puts command for
output. 

.SH KEYWORDS
test, test harness, test suite