FAQ

How to mix strict requirements and simple assertions?

import (
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

func TestAssertionsAndRequirements(t *testing.T) {
  assert, require := td.AssertRequire(t)

  got := SomeFunction()

  require.Cmp(got, expected) // if it fails: report error + abort
  assert.Cmp(got, expected)  // if it fails: report error + continue
}

Why nil is handled so specifically?

var pn *int
td.Cmp(t, pn, nil)

fails with the error

And, yes, it is normal. (TL;DR use CmpNil instead, safer, or use CmpLax, but be careful of edge cases.)

To understand why, look at the following examples:

var err error
td.Cmp(t, err, nil)

works (and you want it works), but

var err error = (*MyError)(nil)
td.Cmp(t, err, nil)

fails with the error

and in most cases you want it fails, because err is not nil! The pointer stored in the interface is nil, but not the interface itself.

As Cmp got parameter type is any, when you pass an interface variable in it (whatever the interface is), Cmp always receives an any. So here, Cmp receives (*MyError)(nil) in the got interface, and not error((*MyError)(nil)) ⇒ the error interface information is lost at the compilation time.

In other words, Cmp has no abilities to tell the difference between error((*MyError)(nil)) and (*MyError)(nil) when passed in got parameter.

That is why Cmp is strict by default, and requires that nil be strongly typed, to be able to detect when a non-nil interface contains a nil pointer.

So to recap:

var pn *int
td.Cmp(t, pn, nil)               // fails as nil is not strongly typed
td.Cmp(t, pn, (*int)(nil))       // succeeds
td.Cmp(t, pn, td.Nil())          // succeeds
td.CmpNil(t, pn)                 // succeeds
td.Cmp(t, pn, td.Lax(nil))       // succeeds
td.CmpLax(t, pn, nil)            // succeeds

var err error
td.Cmp(t, err, nil)              // succeeds
td.Cmp(t, err, (*MyError)(nil))  // fails as err does not contain any value
td.Cmp(t, err, td.Nil())         // succeeds
td.CmpNil(t, err)                // succeeds
td.Cmp(t, err, td.Lax(nil))      // succeeds
td.CmpLax(t, err, nil)           // succeeds
td.CmpError(t, err)              // fails as err is nil
td.CmpNoError(t, err)            // succeeds

err = (*MyError)(nil)
td.Cmp(t, err, nil)              // fails as err contains a value
td.Cmp(t, err, (*MyError)(nil))  // succeeds
td.Cmp(t, err, td.Nil())         // succeeds
td.CmpNil(t, err)                // succeeds
td.Cmp(t, err, td.Lax(nil))      // succeeds *** /!\ be careful here! ***
td.CmpLax(t, err, nil)           // succeeds *** /!\ be careful here! ***
td.CmpError(t, err)              // succeeds
td.CmpNoError(t, err)            // fails as err contains a value

Morality:

• to compare a pointer against nil, use CmpNil or strongly type nil (e.g. (*int)(nil)) in expected parameter of Cmp;
• to compare an error against nil, use CmpNoError or nil direcly in expected parameter of Cmp.

How does operator anchoring work?

Take this struct, returned by a GetPerson() function:

type Person struct {
  ID   int64
  Name string
  Age  uint8
}

For the Person returned by GetPerson(), we expect that:

• ID field should be ≠ 0;
• Name field should always be “Bob”;
• Age field should be ≥ 40 and ≤ 45.

Without operator anchoring:

func TestPerson(t *testing.T) {
  assert := td.Assert(t)

  assert.Cmp(GetPerson(),          // ← ①
    td.Struct(Person{Name: "Bob"}, // ← ②
      td.StructFields{             // ← ③
        "ID":  td.NotZero(),       // ← ④
        "Age": td.Between(uint8(40), uint8(45)), // ← ⑤
      }))
}

Try it in playground 🔗

1. GetPerson() returns a Person;
2. as some fields of the returned Person are not exactly known in advance, we use the Struct operator as expected parameter. It allows to match exactly some fields, and use TestDeep operators on others. Here we know that Name field should always be “Bob”;
3. StructFields is a map allowing to use TestDeep operators for any field;
4. ID field should be ≠ 0. See NotZero operator for details;
5. Age field should be ≥ 40 and ≤ 45. See Between operator for details.

With operator anchoring, the use of Struct operator is no longer needed:

func TestPerson(t *testing.T) {
  assert := td.Assert(t)

  assert.Cmp(GetPerson(), // ← ①
    Person{               // ← ②
      Name: "Bob",        // ← ③
      ID:   assert.A(td.NotZero(), int64(0)).(int64), // ← ④
      Age:  assert.A(td.Between(uint8(40), uint8(45))).(uint8), // ← ⑤
    })

  // Or using generics from go1.18
  assert.Cmp(GetPerson(), // ← ①
    Person{               // ← ②
      Name: "Bob",        // ← ③
      ID:   td.A[int64](assert, td.NotZero()), // ← ④
	  Age:  td.A[uint8](assert, td.Between(uint8(40), uint8(45))), // ← ⑤
  })
}

Try it in playground 🔗

1. GetPerson() still returns a Person;
2. expected parameter is directly a Person. No operator needed here;
3. Name field should always be “Bob”, no change here;
4. ID field should be ≠ 0: anchor the NotZero operator:
   • using the A method. Break this line down:

     assert.A(       // ← ①
       td.NotZero(), // ← ②
       int64(0),     // ← ③
     ).(int64)       // ← ④
     

     1. the A method is the key of the anchoring system. It saves the operator in assert instance, so it can be retrieved during the comparison of the next Cmp call on assert,
     2. the operator we want to anchor,
     3. this optional parameter is needed to tell A that the returned value must be a int64. Sometimes, this type can be deduced from the operator, but as NotZero can handle any kind of number, it is not the case here. So we have to pass it,
     4. as A method returns an any, we need to assert the int64 type to bypass the golang static typing system,
   • using the A generic function. Break this line down:

     td.A[           // ← ①
       int64,        // ← ②
     ](
       assert,       // ← ③
       td.NotZero(), // ← ④
     )
     

     1. the A function is the key of the anchoring system. It saves the operator in assert instance, so it can be retrieved during the comparison of the next Cmp call on assert,
     2. the type A function will return,
     3. instance in which the operator is anchored,
     4. the operator we want to anchor,
5. Age field should be ≥ 40 and ≤ 45: anchor the Between operator:
   • using the A method. Break this line down:

     assert.A(                           // ← ①
       td.Between(uint8(40), uint8(45)), // ← ②
     ).(uint8)                           // ← ③
     

     1. the A method saves the operator in assert, so it can be retrieved during the comparison of the next Cmp call on assert,
     2. the operator we want to anchor. As Between knows the type of its operands (here uint8), there is no need to tell A the returned type must be uint8. It can be deduced from Between,
     3. as A method returns an any, we need to assert the uint8 type to bypass the golang static typing system.
   • using the A generic function. Break this line down:

     td.A[     // ← ①
       uint8,  // ← ②
     ](
       assert, // ← ③
       td.Between(uint8(40), uint8(45)), // ← ④
     )
     

     1. the A function saves the operator in assert, so it can be retrieved during the comparison of the next Cmp call on assert,
     2. the type A function will return,
     3. instance in which the operator is anchored,
     4. the operator we want to anchor,

Note the A method is a shortcut of Anchor method, as well as A function is a shortcut of Anchor function.

Some rules have to be kept in mind:

• never cast a value returned by A or Anchor methods:

  assert := td.Assert(t) // t is a *testing.T
  assert.A(td.NotZero(), uint(8)).(uint8)         // OK
  uint16(assert.A(td.NotZero(), uint(8)).(uint8)) // Not OK!
  assert.A(td.NotZero(), uint16(0)).(uint16)      // OK
  

• anchored operators disappear once the next Cmp call done. To share them between Cmp calls, use the SetAnchorsPersist method as in:

  assert := td.Assert(t) // t is a *testing.T
  age := assert.A(td.Between(uint8(40), uint8(45))).(uint8)
  
  assert.SetAnchorsPersist(true) // ← Don't reset anchors after next Cmp() call
  
  assert.Cmp(GetPerson(1), Person{
    Name: "Bob",
    Age:  age,
  })
  
  assert.Cmp(GetPerson(2), Person{
    Name: "Bob",
    Age:  age, // ← OK
  })
  

  Try it in playground 🔗

How to test io.Reader contents, like net/http.Response.Body for example?

The Smuggle operator is done for that, here with the help of ReadAll.

import (
  "io"
  "net/http"
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

func TestResponseBody(t *testing.T) {
  // Expect this response sends "Expected Response!"
  var resp *http.Response = GetResponse()

  td.Cmp(t, resp.Body,
    td.Smuggle(io.ReadAll, []byte("Expected Response!")))
}

Try it in playground 🔗

OK, but I prefer comparing strings instead of bytes

No problem, ReadAll the body (still using Smuggle operator), then ask go-testdeep to compare it against a string using String operator:

import (
  "io"
  "net/http"
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

func TestResponseBody(t *testing.T) {
  // Expect this response sends "Expected Response!"
  var resp *http.Response = GetResponse()

  td.Cmp(t, resp.Body,
    td.Smuggle(io.ReadAll, td.String("Expected Response!")))
}

Try it in playground 🔗

OK, but my response is in fact a JSON marshaled struct of my own

No problem, JSON decode while reading the body:

import (
  "encoding/json"
  "io"
  "net/http"
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

func TestResponseBody(t *testing.T) {
  // Expect this response sends `{"ID":42,"Name":"Bob","Age":28}`
  var resp *http.Response = GetResponse()

  type Person struct {
    ID   uint64
    Name string
    Age  int
  }

  td.Cmp(t, resp.Body, td.Smuggle( // ← transform a io.Reader in *Person
    func(body io.Reader) (*Person, error) {
      var p Person
      return &p, json.NewDecoder(body).Decode(&p)
    },
    &Person{ // ← check Person content
      ID:   42,
      Name: "Bob",
      Age:  28,
    }))
}

Try it in playground 🔗

So I always need to manually unmarshal in a struct?

It is up to you! Using JSON operator for example, you can test any JSON content. The first step is to read all the body (which is an io.Reader) into a json.RawMessage thanks to the Smuggle operator special cast feature, then ask JSON operator to do the comparison:

import (
  "encoding/json"
  "net/http"
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

func TestResponseBody(t *testing.T) {
  // Expect this response sends `{"ID":42,"Name":"Bob","Age":28}`
  var resp *http.Response = GetResponse()

  td.Cmp(t, resp.Body, td.Smuggle(json.RawMessage{}, td.JSON(`
    {
      "ID":   42,
      "Name": "Bob",
      "Age":  28
    }`)))
}

Try it in playground 🔗

OK, but you are funny, this response sends a new created object, so I don’t know the ID in advance!

No problem, use Struct operator to test that ID field is non-zero (as a bonus, add a CreatedAt field):

import (
  "encoding/json"
  "io"
  "net/http"
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

func TestResponseBody(t *testing.T) {
  // Expect this response sends:
  //   `{"ID":42,"Name":"Bob","Age":28,"CreatedAt":"2019-01-02T11:22:33Z"}`
  var resp *http.Response = GetResponse()

  type Person struct {
    ID        uint64
    Name      string
    Age       int
    CreatedAt time.Time
  }

  y2019, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2019-01-01T00:00:00Z")

  // Using Struct operator
  td.Cmp(t, resp.Body, td.Smuggle( // ← transform a io.Reader in *Person
    func(body io.Reader) (*Person, error) {
      var s Person
      return &s, json.NewDecoder(body).Decode(&s)
    },
    td.Struct(&Person{ // ← check Person content
      Name: "Bob",
      Age:  28,
    }, td.StructFields{
      "ID":        td.NotZero(),  // check ID ≠ 0
      "CreatedAt": td.Gte(y2019), // check CreatedAt ≥ 2019/01/01
    })))

  // Using anchoring feature
  resp = GetResponse()
  assert := td.Assert(t)
  assert.Cmp(resp.Body, td.Smuggle( // ← transform a io.Reader in *Person
    func(body io.Reader) (*Person, error) {
      var s Person
      return &s, json.NewDecoder(body).Decode(&s)
    },
    &Person{ // ← check Person content
      Name:      "Bob",
      Age:       28,
      ID:        assert.A(td.NotZero(), uint64(0)).(uint64), // check ID ≠ 0
      CreatedAt: assert.A(td.Gte(y2019)).(time.Time),        // check CreatedAt ≥ 2019/01/01
    }))

  // Using anchoring feature with generics
  resp = GetResponse()
  assert.Cmp(resp.Body, td.Smuggle( // ← transform a io.Reader in *Person
    func(body io.Reader) (*Person, error) {
      var s Person
      return &s, json.NewDecoder(body).Decode(&s)
    },
    &Person{ // ← check Person content
      Name:      "Bob",
      Age:       28,
      ID:        td.A[uint64](assert, td.NotZero()),     // check ID ≠ 0
      CreatedAt: td.A[time.Time](assert, td.Gte(y2019)), // check CreatedAt ≥ 2019/01/01
    }))

  // Using JSON operator
  resp = GetResponse()
  td.Cmp(t, resp.Body, td.Smuggle(json.RawMessage{}, td.JSON(`
    {
	  "ID":        NotZero,
      "Name":      "Bob",
      "Age":       28,
	  "CreatedAt": Gte($1)
    }`, y2019)))
}

Try it in playground 🔗

What about testing the response using my API?

tdhttp helper is done for that!

import (
  "encoding/json"
  "net/http"
  "testing"
  "time"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/helpers/tdhttp"
  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

type Person struct {
  ID        uint64
  Name      string
  Age       int
  CreatedAt time.Time
}

// MyApi defines our API.
func MyAPI() *http.ServeMux {
  mux := http.NewServeMux()

  // GET /json
  mux.HandleFunc("/json", func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
    if req.Method != "GET" {
      http.NotFound(w, req)
      return
    }

    b, err := json.Marshal(Person{
      ID:        42,
      Name:      "Bob",
      Age:       28,
      CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
    })
    if err != nil {
      http.Error(w, "Internal server error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
      return
    }

    w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
    w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
    w.Write(b)
  })

  return mux
}

func TestMyApi(t *testing.T) {
  myAPI := MyAPI()

  y2008, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2008-01-01T00:00:00Z")

  ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, myAPI) // ← ①

  ta.Get("/json").             // ← ②
    Name("Testing GET /json").
    CmpStatus(http.StatusOK).       // ← ③
    CmpJSONBody(td.SStruct(&Person{ // ← ④
      Name: "Bob",
      Age:  28,
    }, td.StructFields{
      "ID":        td.NotZero(),    // ← ⑤
      "CreatedAt": td.Gte(y2008),   // ← ⑥
    }))

  // ta can be used to test another route…
}

Try it in playground 🔗

1. the API handler ready to be tested;
2. the GET request;
3. the expected HTTP status should be http.StatusOK;
4. the expected body should match the SStruct operator;
5. check the ID field is NotZero;
6. check the CreatedAt field is greater or equal than y2008 variable (set just before tdhttp.NewTestAPI call).

If you prefer to do one function call instead of chaining methods as above, you can try CmpJSONResponse.

Arf, I use Gin Gonic, and so no net/http handlers

It is exactly the same as for net/http handlers as *gin.Engine implements http.Handler interface! So keep using tdhttp helper:

import (
  "net/http"
  "testing"
  "time"

  "github.com/gin-gonic/gin"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/helpers/tdhttp"
  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

type Person struct {
  ID        uint64
  Name      string
  Age       int
  CreatedAt time.Time
}

// MyGinGonicApi defines our API.
func MyGinGonicAPI() *gin.Engine {
  router := gin.Default() // or gin.New() or receive the router by param it doesn't matter

  router.GET("/json", func(c *gin.Context) {
    c.JSON(http.StatusOK, Person{
      ID:        42,
      Name:      "Bob",
      Age:       28,
      CreatedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
    })
  })

  return router
}

func TestMyGinGonicApi(t *testing.T) {
  myAPI := MyGinGonicAPI()

  y2008, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2008-01-01T00:00:00Z")

  ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, myAPI) // ← ①

  ta.Get("/json").             // ← ②
    Name("Testing GET /json").
    CmpStatus(http.StatusOK).       // ← ③
    CmpJSONBody(td.SStruct(&Person{ // ← ④
      Name: "Bob",
      Age:  28,
    }, td.StructFields{
      "ID":        td.NotZero(),    // ← ⑤
      "CreatedAt": td.Gte(y2008),   // ← ⑥
    }))

  // ta can be used to test another route…
}

Try it in playground 🔗

1. the API handler ready to be tested;
2. the GET request;
3. the expected HTTP status should be http.StatusOK;
4. the expected body should match the SStruct operator;
5. check the ID field is NotZero;
6. check the CreatedAt field is greater or equal than y2008 variable (set just before tdhttp.NewTestAPI call).

If you prefer to do one function call instead of chaining methods as above, you can try CmpJSONResponse.

Fine, the request succeeds and the ID is not 0, but what is the ID real value?

Stay with tdhttp helper!

In fact you can Catch the ID before comparing it to 0 (as well as CreatedAt in fact). Try:

func TestMyGinGonicApi(t *testing.T) {
  myAPI := MyGinGonicAPI()

  var id uint64
  var createdAt time.Time

  y2008, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2008-01-01T00:00:00Z")

  ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, myAPI) // ← ①

  ta.Get("/json").             // ← ②
    Name("Testing GET /json").
    CmpStatus(http.StatusOK).       // ← ③
    CmpJSONBody(td.SStruct(&Person{ // ← ④
      Name: "Bob",
      Age:  28,
    }, td.StructFields{
      "ID":        td.Catch(&id, td.NotZero()),         // ← ⑤
      "CreatedAt": td.Catch(&createdAt, td.Gte(y2008)), // ← ⑥
    }))
  if !ta.Failed() {
    t.Logf("The ID is %d and was created at %s", id, createdAt)
  }

  // ta can be used to test another route…
}

Try it in playground 🔗

1. the API handler ready to be tested;
2. the GET request;
3. the expected HTTP status should be http.StatusOK;
4. the expected body should match the SStruct operator;
5. Catch the ID field: put it in id variable and check it is NotZero;
6. Catch the CreatedAt field: put it in createdAt variable and check it is greater or equal than y2008 variable (set just before tdhttp.NewTestAPI call).

If you prefer to do one function call instead of chaining methods as above, you can try CmpJSONResponse.

And what about other HTTP frameworks?

tdhttp.NewTestAPI() function needs a http.Handler instance.

Let’s see for each following framework how to get it:

Beego

home / sources

In single instance mode, web.BeeApp variable is a *web.HttpServer instance containing a Handlers field whose *ControllerRegister type implements http.Handler:

ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, web.BeeApp.Handlers)

In multi instances mode, each instance is a *web.HttpServer so the same rule applies for each instance to test:

ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, instance.Handlers)

echo

home / sources

Starting v3.0.0, echo.New() returns a *echo.Echo instance that implements http.Handler interface, so this instance can be fed as is to tdhttp.NewTestAPI:

e := echo.New()
// Add routes to e
…
ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, e) // e implements http.Handler

Gin

home / sources

gin.Default() and gin.New() return both a *gin.Engine instance that implements http.Handler interface, so this instance can be fed as is to tdhttp.NewTestAPI:

engine := gin.Default()
// Add routes to engine
…
ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, engine) // engine implements http.Handler

gorilla/mux

home / sources

mux.NewRouter() returns a *mux.Router instance that implements http.Handler interface, so this instance can be fed as is to tdhttp.NewTestAPI:

r := mux.NewRouter()
// Add routes to r
…
ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, r) // r implements http.Handler

go-swagger

home / sources

2 cases here, the default generation and the Stratoscale template:

• default generation requires some tricks to retrieve the http.Handler instance:

  swaggerSpec, err := loads.Embedded(restapi.SwaggerJSON, restapi.FlatSwaggerJSON)
  td.Require(t).CmpNoError(err, "Swagger spec is loaded")
  api := operations.NewXxxAPI(swaggerSpec) // Xxx is the name of your API
  server := restapi.NewServer(api)
  server.ConfigureAPI()
  hdl := server.GetHandler() // returns an http.Handler instance
  ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, hdl)
  

• with Stratoscale template, it is simpler:

  hdl, _, err := restapi.HandlerAPI(restapi.Config{
    Tag1API:  Tag1{},
    Tag2API:  Tag2{},
  })
  td.Require(t).CmpNoError(err, "API correctly set up")
  // hdl is an http.Handler instance
  ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, hdl)
  

HttpRouter

home / sources

httprouter.New() returns a *httprouter.Router instance that implements http.Handler interface, so this instance can be fed as is to tdhttp.NewTestAPI:

r := httprouter.New()
// Add routes to r
…
ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, r) // r implements http.Handler

pat

home / sources

pat.New() returns a *pat.Router instance that implements http.Handler interface, so this instance can be fed as is to tdhttp.NewTestAPI:

router := pat.New()
// Add routes to router
…
ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, router) // router implements http.Handler

Another web framework not listed here?

File an issue or open a PR to fix this!

OK, but how to be sure the response content is well JSONified?

Again, tdhttp helper is your friend!

With the help of JSON operator of course! See it below, used with Catch (note it can be used without), for a POST example:

type Person struct {
  ID        uint64    `json:"id"`
  Name      string    `json:"name"`
  Age       int       `json:"age"`
  CreatedAt time.Time `json:"created_at"`
}

func TestMyGinGonicApi(t *testing.T) {
  myAPI := MyGinGonicAPI()

  var id uint64
  var createdAt time.Time

  ta := tdhttp.NewTestAPI(t, myAPI) // ← ①

  ta.PostJSON("/person", Person{Name: "Bob", Age: 42}), // ← ②
    Name("Create a new Person").
    CmpStatus(http.StatusCreated). // ← ③
    CmpJSONBody(td.JSON(`
{
  "id":         $id,
  "name":       "Bob",
  "age":        42,
  "created_at": "$createdAt",
}`,
      td.Tag("id", td.Catch(&id, td.NotZero())),        // ← ④
      td.Tag("createdAt", td.All(                       // ← ⑤
        td.HasSuffix("Z"),                              // ← ⑥
        td.Smuggle(func(s string) (time.Time, error) {  // ← ⑦
          return time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, s)
        }, td.Catch(&createdAt, td.Gte(ta.SentAt()))), // ← ⑧
      )),
    ))
  if !ta.Failed() {
    t.Logf("The new Person ID is %d and was created at %s", id, createdAt)
  }

  // ta can be used to test another route…
}

1. the API handler ready to be tested;
2. the POST request with automatic JSON marshalling;
3. the expected HTTP status should be http.StatusCreated and the line just below, the body should match the JSON operator;
4. for the $id placeholder, Catch its value: put it in id variable and check it is NotZero;
5. for the $createdAt placeholder, use the All operator. It combines several operators like a AND;
6. check that $createdAt date ends with “Z” using HasSuffix. As we expect a RFC3339 date, we require it in UTC time zone;
7. convert $createdAt date into a time.Time using a custom function thanks to the Smuggle operator;
8. then Catch the resulting value: put it in createdAt variable and check it is greater or equal than ta.SentAt() (the time just before the request is handled).

If you prefer to do one function call instead of chaining methods as above, you can try CmpJSONResponse.

My API use XML not JSON!

tdhttp helper provides the same functions and methods for XML it does for JSON.

RTFM :)

Note that the JSON operator have not its XML counterpart yet. But PRs are welcome!

Should I import github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep or github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td?

Historically the main package of go-testdeep was testdeep as in:

import (
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep"
)

func TestMyFunc(t *testing.T) {
  testdeep.Cmp(t, GetPerson(), Person{Name: "Bob", Age: 42})
}

As testdeep was boring to type, renaming it to td became a habit as in:

import (
  "testing"

  td "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep"
)

func TestMyFunc(t *testing.T) {
  td.Cmp(t, GetPerson(), Person{Name: "Bob", Age: 42})
}

Forcing the developer to systematically rename testdeep package to td in all its tests is not very friendly. That is why a decision was taken to create a new package github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td while keeping github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep working thanks to go type aliases.

So the previous examples (that are still working) can now be written as:

import (
  "testing"

  "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
)

func TestMyFunc(t *testing.T) {
  td.Cmp(t, GetPerson(), Person{Name: "Bob", Age: 42})
}

There is no package renaming anymore. Switching to import github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td is advised for new code.

What does the error undefined: testdeep.DefaultContextConfig mean?

Since release v1.3.0, this variable moved to the new github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td package.

• If you rename the testdeep package to td as in:

  import td "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep"
  …
    td.DefaultContextConfig = td.ContextConfig{…}
  

  then just change the import line to:

  import "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
  

• Otherwise, you have two choices:

  1. either add a new import line:

     import "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
     

     then use td.DefaultContextConfig instead of testdeep.DefaultContextConfig, and continue to use testdeep package elsewhere.
  2. or replace the import line:

     import "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep"
     

     by

     import "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/td"
     

     then rename all occurrences of testdeep package to td.

go-testdeep dumps only 10 errors, how to have more (or less)?

Using the environment variable TESTDEEP_MAX_ERRORS.

TESTDEEP_MAX_ERRORS contains the maximum number of errors to report before stopping during one comparison (one Cmp execution for example). It defaults to 10.

Example:

TESTDEEP_MAX_ERRORS=30 go test

Setting it to -1 means no limit:

TESTDEEP_MAX_ERRORS=-1 go test

How do I change these crappy colors?

Using some environment variables:

• TESTDEEP_COLOR enable (on) or disable (off) the color output. It defaults to on;
• TESTDEEP_COLOR_TEST_NAME color of the test name. See below for color format, it defaults to yellow;
• TESTDEEP_COLOR_TITLE color of the test failure title. See below for color format, it defaults to cyan;
• TESTDEEP_COLOR_OK color of the test expected value. See below for color format, it defaults to green;
• TESTDEEP_COLOR_BAD color of the test got value. See below for color format, it defaults to red;

Color format

A color in TESTDEEP_COLOR_* environment variables has the following format:

foreground_color                    # set foreground color, background one untouched
foreground_color:background_color   # set foreground AND background color
:background_color                   # set background color, foreground one untouched

foreground_color and background_color can be:

• black
• red
• green
• yellow
• blue
• magenta
• cyan
• white
• gray

For example:

TESTDEEP_COLOR_OK=black:green \
    TESTDEEP_COLOR_BAD=white:red \
    TESTDEEP_COLOR_TITLE=yellow \
    go test

play.golang.org does not handle colors, error output is nasty

Just add this single line in playground:

import _ "github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/helpers/nocolor"

(since go-testdeep v1.10.0) or:

func init() { os.Setenv("TESTDEEP_COLOR", "off") }

until playground supports ANSI color escape sequences.

The X testing framework allows to test/do Y while go-testdeep not

The Code and Smuggle operators should allow to cover all cases not handled by other operators.

If you think this missing feature deserves a specific operator, because it is frequently or widely used, file an issue and let’s discuss about it.

We plan to add a new github.com/maxatome/go-testdeep/helpers/tdcombo helper package, bringing together all what we can call combo-operators. Combo-operators are operators using any number of already existing operators.

As an example of such combo-operators, the following one. It allows to check that a string contains a RFC3339 formatted time, in UTC time zone (“Z” suffix) and then to compare it as a time.Time against expectedValue (which can be another operator or, of course, a time.Time value).

func RFC3339ZToTime(expectedValue any) td.TestDeep {
  return td.All(
    td.HasSuffix("Z"),
    td.Smuggle(func(s string) (time.Time, error) {
      return time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, s)
    }, expectedValue),
  )
}

It could be used as:

before := time.Now()
record := NewRecord()
td.Cmp(t, record,
  td.SuperJSONOf(`{"created_at": $1}`,
    tdcombo.RFC3339ZToTime(td.Between(before, time.Now()),
  )),
  "The JSONified record.created_at is UTC-RFC3339",
)

How to add a new operator?

You want to add a new FooBar operator.

• check that another operator does not exist with the same meaning;
• add the operator definition in td_foo_bar.go file and fully document its usage:
  • add a // summary(FooBar): small description line, before operator comment,
  • add a // input(FooBar): … line, just after summary(FooBar) line. This one lists all inputs accepted by the operator;
• add operator tests in td_foo_bar_test.go file;
• in example_test.go file, add examples function(s) ExampleFooBar* in alphabetical order;
• should this operator be available in JSON, SubJSONOf and SuperJSONOf operators?
  • If no, add FooBar to the forbiddenOpsInJSON map in td/td_json.go with a possible alternative text to help the user,
  • If yes, does FooBar needs specific handling as N or Between does for example?
• automatically generate CmpFooBar & T.FooBar (+ examples) code: ./tools/gen_funcs.pl
• do not forget to run tests: go test ./...
• run golangci-lint as in .github/workflows/ci.yml;

Each time you change example_test.go, re-run ./tools/gen_funcs.pl to update corresponding CmpFooBar & T.FooBar examples.

Test coverage must be 100%.