Phillip Trelford's Array

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Running TAP

The Test Anything Protocol (TAP) is a text-based protocol for test results:

 1..4
 ok 1 - Input file opened
 not ok 2 - First line of the input valid
 ok 3 - Read the rest of the file
 not ok 4 - Summarized correctly # TODO Not written yet

 

I think the idea is an good one, a simple cross-platform human readable standard for formatting test results. There are TAP producers and consumers for Perl, Java, JavaScript etc. allowing you to join up tests for cross-platform projects.

NUnit runner

Over the last week or so I’ve created a TAP runner F# script for NUnit test methods. It supports the majority of NUnit’s attributes including ExpectedException, TimeOut and test generation with TestCase, TestCaseSource, Values, etc., .

The runner can be used in a console app to produce TAP output to the console or directly in F# interactive for running tests embedded in a script.

TAP run

Tests can be organized in classes:

type TAPExample () =
    [<Test>] member __.``input file opened`` () = Assert.Pass()
    [<Test>] member __.``First line of the input valid`` () = Assert.Fail()
    [<Test>] member __.``Read the rest of the file`` () = Assert.Pass()
    [<Test>] member __.``Summarized correctly`` () = Assert.Fail()

Tap.Run typeof<TAPExample>

or in modules:

let [<Test>] ``input file opened`` () = Assert.Pass()
let [<Test>] ``First line of the input valid`` () = Assert.Fail()
let [<Test>] ``Read the rest of the file`` () = Assert.Pass()
let [<Test>] ``Summarized correctly`` () = Assert.Fail()
type Marker = interface end
Tap.Run typeof<Marker>.DeclaringType

Note: the marker interface is used to reflect the module’s type.

Console output

In the console test cases are marked in red or green:

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Debugging

If you create an F# Tutorial project you get both, an F# script file that runs as a console application allowing you to set breakpoints in your script with the Visual Studio debugger.

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Prototyping

When I’m prototyping a new feature I typically use the F# interactive environment for quick feedback and to do exploratory testing. The TAP runner lets you create and run NUnit  formatted tests directly in the script file before later promoting to a full fat project for use in a continuous build environment.

F# Scripting

Interested in learning more about F# scripting, pop along to the Phil Nash’s talk at the F#unctional Londoners tonight.

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