source: src/documentation/tests/tests.dox@ 43552e

Candidate_v1.6.1
Last change on this file since 43552e was c307ba, checked in by Frederik Heber <heber@…>, 10 years ago

DOCU: Enhanced description of test policy on version update.

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1/*
2 * Project: MoleCuilder
3 * Description: creates and alters molecular systems
4 * Copyright (C) 2010 University of Bonn. All rights reserved.
5 * Please see the LICENSE file or "Copyright notice" in builder.cpp for details.
6 */
7
8/**
9 * \file tests.dox
10 *
11 * Created on: Oct 28, 2011
12 * Author: heber
13 */
14
15/**
16 * \page tests Automated Tests
17 *
18 * There are three kinds of tests:
19 *
20 * \li \subpage codetest "Code tests"
21 * \li \subpage regressiontest "Regression tests"
22 * \li \subpage unittest "Unit test"
23 *
24 * These behave more or less like top-down and bottom-up approaches to automated
25 * testing. Tests are regarded here as a kind of contract. The code itself is
26 * just one hand in two hands shaking, the other hand is resembled by the tests
27 * that check whether the code does exactly what it's supposed to do. Without
28 * testing a larger project is impossible because it cannot evolve: The old
29 * addage and compromises grow and grow. With increasing size, a project must be
30 * refactored (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_refactoring) such that new code
31 * does not have to wiggle itself around the same old issues that are
32 * inadvertently and unavoidably present from the start. Before one starts
33 * refactoring, it must be assured by some means that the code before and after
34 * behaves the same with respect to its intended functionality. These means are
35 * the tests.
36 *
37 * Unit tests (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_testing) check on single
38 * components (e.g. classes), dependencies of the components on other classes
39 * with the test frame are often just mimicked via so-called stubs (sort of
40 * dummy components that don't calculate or do anything but return an expected
41 * result suitable for this test only, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_stubs).
42 * These test whether a component always behaves as desired.
43 *
44 * Regression test (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_testing) on the other
45 * hand test some specific functionality of the code from the top-most scope,
46 * i.e. they are integration test that check whether the code eventually does
47 * what's wanted. Lateron, they also check whether added or altered functionality
48 * has not changed the outcome of older functions.
49 *
50 * \section tests-launch-all Launching all tests
51 *
52 * Note that all tests can be launched via
53 * \code make check \endcode
54 * in the top build directory.
55 *
56 * \section tests-policy Policy on launching tests
57 *
58 * We have the the following list of checks on every new version:
59 *
60 * -# make check on every commit between old and new version in history
61 * for both --enable-debug and --disable-debug
62 * -# make distcheck on last version (where version is updated)
63 * -# make check with --enable-valgrind on last version
64 * -# make check on last version with every possible --enable/--disable
65 * combination (excluding ecut, valgrind)
66 *
67 * \subsection tests-policy-check make check
68 *
69 * Note that the call
70 * \code make check \endcode
71 * should \e pass for \e each \e and \e every \a single \e test for each and
72 * every single commit in the code history before it is pushed to the central
73 * repository (git has ample means via \a rebase for correcting later found
74 * errors), both for \a --disable-debug and \a --enable-debug.
75 *
76 * \subsection tests-policy-distcheck make distcheck
77 *
78 * Before a version tag is given (e.g. v1.1.3) it is to be made sure that also
79 * \code make distcheck \endcode
80 * runs fine and produces a distributable archive.
81 *
82 * \subsection tests-policy-enablevalgrind make check with --enable-valgrind
83 *
84 * Since v1.4.8 valgrind's memcheck tool runs through as well (on all regression
85 * tests) on make check if configure has been executed with
86 * \code ./configure .. -enable-valgrind \endcode
87 * There are three glitches, namely regression tests 28-30 which load
88 * python scripts and cause many \a PyObject_Free and other errors. These are
89 * ignored. A python suppression file was tried but to no success.
90 *
91 * In summary, a valgrind check prior to giving a version tag is to be made
92 * starting from this version to prevent memory leaks.
93 *
94 *
95 * \date 2015-07-31
96 *
97 */
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