boost/libs/test/doc/html/boost_test/tests_organization.html
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<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">
<a name="boost_test.tests_organization"></a><a class="link" href="tests_organization.html" title="Declaring and organizing tests">Declaring and organizing
tests</a>
</h2></div></div></div>
<div class="toc"><dl class="toc">
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases.html">Test cases</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/test_organization_nullary.html">Test
cases without parameters</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/test_case_generation.html">Data-driven
test cases</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/test_case_generation/datasets.html">Datasets</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/test_case_generation/datasets_auto_registration.html">Declaring
and registering test cases with datasets</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/test_case_generation/operations.html">Operations
on dataset</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/test_case_generation/generators.html">Datasets
generators</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/test_organization_templates.html">Template
test cases</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_cases/param_test.html">Parametrized
test cases</a></span></dt>
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<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_tree.html">Test tree</a></span></dt>
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<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_tree/test_suite.html">Test
suite</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_tree/master_test_suite.html">Master
test suite</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_tree/test_naming.html">Tests
naming</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/test_tree/test_tree_content.html">Test
tree content</a></span></dt>
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<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/decorators.html">Decorators</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/decorators/suite_level_decorators.html">Suite-level
decorators</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/decorators/explicit_decorator_declaration.html">Explicit
decorator declaration</a></span></dt>
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<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/fixtures.html">Fixtures</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/fixtures/models.html">Fixture
models</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/fixtures/case.html">Test case
fixture</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/fixtures/per_test_suite_fixture.html">Test
suite entry/exit fixture</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/fixtures/global.html">Global
fixture</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/tests_dependencies.html">Managing
test dependencies</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/tests_grouping.html">Grouping
tests into logical units by labels</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/enabling.html">Enabling or disabling
test unit execution</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/semantic.html">Adding semantic
to a test</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="tests_organization/summary_of_the_api_for_declaring.html">Summary
of the API for declaring and organizing tests</a></span></dt>
</dl></div>
<p>
If you look at many legacy test modules, big chance is that it's implemented
as one big test function that consists of a mixture of check and output statements.
Is there anything wrong with it? Yes. There are various disadvantages in single
test function approach:
</p>
<div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; ">
<li class="listitem">
One big function tends to become really difficult to manage if the number
of checks exceeds a reasonable limit (true for any large function). What
is tested and where - who knows?
</li>
<li class="listitem">
Many checks require similar preparations. This results in code repetitions
within the test function.
</li>
<li class="listitem">
If a fatal error or an exception is caused by any checks within the test
function the rest of tests are skipped and there is no way to prevent this.
</li>
<li class="listitem">
No way to perform only checks for a particular subsystem of the tested
unit.
</li>
<li class="listitem">
No summary of how different subsystems of the tested unit performed under
in the test.
</li>
</ul></div>
<p>
The above points should make it clear that it's preferable to split a <a class="link" href="section_glossary.html#ref_test_module">test module</a> into smaller <span class="bold"><strong>units</strong></span>.
These units are the <span class="bold"><strong>test cases</strong></span>, the <span class="bold"><strong>test suites</strong></span> and the <span class="bold"><strong>fixtures</strong></span>.
</p>
<div class="variablelist">
<p class="title"><b>Subjects covered by this section</b></p>
<dl class="variablelist">
<dt><span class="term">Declaration</span></dt>
<dd><p>
The <span class="emphasis"><em>Unit Test Framework</em></span> supports several methods
for declaring a <a class="link" href="tests_organization/test_cases.html" title="Test cases">test
case</a>. Test cases can be implemented using free function like syntax
or based on actual free function, function object, that can be defined
with or without parameters/data, or as template functions to be run against
various types.
</p></dd>
<dt><span class="term">Organization</span></dt>
<dd><p>
The <span class="emphasis"><em>Unit Test Framework</em></span> provides facilities to group
several test cases into <a class="link" href="tests_organization/test_tree/test_suite.html" title="Test suite">test
suites</a>. The test suites can be nested, and the set of test suites
and test cases defines the <a class="link" href="tests_organization/test_tree.html" title="Test tree">test
tree</a>, where the leaves are the test cases. Besides hierarchical
structure the <span class="emphasis"><em>Unit Test Framework</em></span> allows you to
organize the test tree using <a class="link" href="tests_organization/tests_grouping.html" title="Grouping tests into logical units by labels">logical
grouping</a> and <a class="link" href="tests_organization/tests_dependencies.html" title="Managing test dependencies">dependencies</a>
and provides you with controls to utilize the defined test tree organization
the way you want (eg. from command line).
</p></dd>
<dt><span class="term">Attributes</span></dt>
<dd><p>
It is possible to specify test unit <span class="emphasis"><em>attributes</em></span> by
using <a class="link" href="tests_organization/decorators.html" title="Decorators">decorators</a>.
Attributes are used for a fine grained control over various aspects of
test module execution, such as <span class="emphasis"><em>logical grouping</em></span>,
<span class="emphasis"><em>dependencies</em></span>, <span class="emphasis"><em>expected failures</em></span>,
etc.
</p></dd>
<dt><span class="term">Setup/teardown test unit actions</span></dt>
<dd><p>
When several tests shares the same set-up (environment, test data preparation,
etc.), the preparation and cleanup code may be factorized in <a class="link" href="tests_organization/fixtures.html" title="Fixtures">fixtures</a>.
In the <span class="emphasis"><em>Unit Test Framework</em></span>, fixtures can be associated
to test cases, test suites or globally to the test module.
</p></dd>
</dl>
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