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  1. # Googletest Primer
  2. ## Introduction: Why googletest?
  3. *googletest* helps you write better C++ tests.
  4. googletest is a testing framework developed by the Testing Technology team with
  5. Google's specific requirements and constraints in mind. Whether you work on
  6. Linux, Windows, or a Mac, if you write C++ code, googletest can help you. And it
  7. supports *any* kind of tests, not just unit tests.
  8. So what makes a good test, and how does googletest fit in? We believe:
  9. 1. Tests should be *independent* and *repeatable*. It's a pain to debug a test
  10. that succeeds or fails as a result of other tests. googletest isolates the
  11. tests by running each of them on a different object. When a test fails,
  12. googletest allows you to run it in isolation for quick debugging.
  13. 2. Tests should be well *organized* and reflect the structure of the tested
  14. code. googletest groups related tests into test suites that can share data
  15. and subroutines. This common pattern is easy to recognize and makes tests
  16. easy to maintain. Such consistency is especially helpful when people switch
  17. projects and start to work on a new code base.
  18. 3. Tests should be *portable* and *reusable*. Google has a lot of code that is
  19. platform-neutral; its tests should also be platform-neutral. googletest
  20. works on different OSes, with different compilers, with or without
  21. exceptions, so googletest tests can work with a variety of configurations.
  22. 4. When tests fail, they should provide as much *information* about the problem
  23. as possible. googletest doesn't stop at the first test failure. Instead, it
  24. only stops the current test and continues with the next. You can also set up
  25. tests that report non-fatal failures after which the current test continues.
  26. Thus, you can detect and fix multiple bugs in a single run-edit-compile
  27. cycle.
  28. 5. The testing framework should liberate test writers from housekeeping chores
  29. and let them focus on the test *content*. googletest automatically keeps
  30. track of all tests defined, and doesn't require the user to enumerate them
  31. in order to run them.
  32. 6. Tests should be *fast*. With googletest, you can reuse shared resources
  33. across tests and pay for the set-up/tear-down only once, without making
  34. tests depend on each other.
  35. Since googletest is based on the popular xUnit architecture, you'll feel right
  36. at home if you've used JUnit or PyUnit before. If not, it will take you about 10
  37. minutes to learn the basics and get started. So let's go!
  38. ## Beware of the nomenclature
  39. _Note:_ There might be some confusion arising from different definitions of the
  40. terms _Test_, _Test Case_ and _Test Suite_, so beware of misunderstanding these.
  41. Historically, googletest started to use the term _Test Case_ for grouping
  42. related tests, whereas current publications, including International Software
  43. Testing Qualifications Board ([ISTQB](http://www.istqb.org/)) materials and
  44. various textbooks on software quality, use the term
  45. _[Test Suite][istqb test suite]_ for this.
  46. The related term _Test_, as it is used in googletest, corresponds to the term
  47. _[Test Case][istqb test case]_ of ISTQB and others.
  48. The term _Test_ is commonly of broad enough sense, including ISTQB's definition
  49. of _Test Case_, so it's not much of a problem here. But the term _Test Case_ as
  50. was used in Google Test is of contradictory sense and thus confusing.
  51. googletest recently started replacing the term _Test Case_ with _Test Suite_.
  52. The preferred API is *TestSuite*. The older TestCase API is being slowly
  53. deprecated and refactored away.
  54. So please be aware of the different definitions of the terms:
  55. <!-- mdformat off(github rendering does not support multiline tables) -->
  56. Meaning | googletest Term | [ISTQB](http://www.istqb.org/) Term
  57. :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------- | :----------------------------------
  58. Exercise a particular program path with specific input values and verify the results | [TEST()](#simple-tests) | [Test Case][istqb test case]
  59. <!-- mdformat on -->
  60. [istqb test case]: http://glossary.istqb.org/en/search/test%20case
  61. [istqb test suite]: http://glossary.istqb.org/en/search/test%20suite
  62. ## Basic Concepts
  63. When using googletest, you start by writing *assertions*, which are statements
  64. that check whether a condition is true. An assertion's result can be *success*,
  65. *nonfatal failure*, or *fatal failure*. If a fatal failure occurs, it aborts the
  66. current function; otherwise the program continues normally.
  67. *Tests* use assertions to verify the tested code's behavior. If a test crashes
  68. or has a failed assertion, then it *fails*; otherwise it *succeeds*.
  69. A *test suite* contains one or many tests. You should group your tests into test
  70. suites that reflect the structure of the tested code. When multiple tests in a
  71. test suite need to share common objects and subroutines, you can put them into a
  72. *test fixture* class.
  73. A *test program* can contain multiple test suites.
  74. We'll now explain how to write a test program, starting at the individual
  75. assertion level and building up to tests and test suites.
  76. ## Assertions
  77. googletest assertions are macros that resemble function calls. You test a class
  78. or function by making assertions about its behavior. When an assertion fails,
  79. googletest prints the assertion's source file and line number location, along
  80. with a failure message. You may also supply a custom failure message which will
  81. be appended to googletest's message.
  82. The assertions come in pairs that test the same thing but have different effects
  83. on the current function. `ASSERT_*` versions generate fatal failures when they
  84. fail, and **abort the current function**. `EXPECT_*` versions generate nonfatal
  85. failures, which don't abort the current function. Usually `EXPECT_*` are
  86. preferred, as they allow more than one failure to be reported in a test.
  87. However, you should use `ASSERT_*` if it doesn't make sense to continue when the
  88. assertion in question fails.
  89. Since a failed `ASSERT_*` returns from the current function immediately,
  90. possibly skipping clean-up code that comes after it, it may cause a space leak.
  91. Depending on the nature of the leak, it may or may not be worth fixing - so keep
  92. this in mind if you get a heap checker error in addition to assertion errors.
  93. To provide a custom failure message, simply stream it into the macro using the
  94. `<<` operator or a sequence of such operators. An example:
  95. ```c++
  96. ASSERT_EQ(x.size(), y.size()) << "Vectors x and y are of unequal length";
  97. for (int i = 0; i < x.size(); ++i) {
  98. EXPECT_EQ(x[i], y[i]) << "Vectors x and y differ at index " << i;
  99. }
  100. ```
  101. Anything that can be streamed to an `ostream` can be streamed to an assertion
  102. macro--in particular, C strings and `string` objects. If a wide string
  103. (`wchar_t*`, `TCHAR*` in `UNICODE` mode on Windows, or `std::wstring`) is
  104. streamed to an assertion, it will be translated to UTF-8 when printed.
  105. ### Basic Assertions
  106. These assertions do basic true/false condition testing.
  107. Fatal assertion | Nonfatal assertion | Verifies
  108. -------------------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------
  109. `ASSERT_TRUE(condition);` | `EXPECT_TRUE(condition);` | `condition` is true
  110. `ASSERT_FALSE(condition);` | `EXPECT_FALSE(condition);` | `condition` is false
  111. Remember, when they fail, `ASSERT_*` yields a fatal failure and returns from the
  112. current function, while `EXPECT_*` yields a nonfatal failure, allowing the
  113. function to continue running. In either case, an assertion failure means its
  114. containing test fails.
  115. **Availability**: Linux, Windows, Mac.
  116. ### Binary Comparison
  117. This section describes assertions that compare two values.
  118. Fatal assertion | Nonfatal assertion | Verifies
  119. ------------------------ | ------------------------ | --------------
  120. `ASSERT_EQ(val1, val2);` | `EXPECT_EQ(val1, val2);` | `val1 == val2`
  121. `ASSERT_NE(val1, val2);` | `EXPECT_NE(val1, val2);` | `val1 != val2`
  122. `ASSERT_LT(val1, val2);` | `EXPECT_LT(val1, val2);` | `val1 < val2`
  123. `ASSERT_LE(val1, val2);` | `EXPECT_LE(val1, val2);` | `val1 <= val2`
  124. `ASSERT_GT(val1, val2);` | `EXPECT_GT(val1, val2);` | `val1 > val2`
  125. `ASSERT_GE(val1, val2);` | `EXPECT_GE(val1, val2);` | `val1 >= val2`
  126. Value arguments must be comparable by the assertion's comparison operator or
  127. you'll get a compiler error. We used to require the arguments to support the
  128. `<<` operator for streaming to an `ostream`, but this is no longer necessary. If
  129. `<<` is supported, it will be called to print the arguments when the assertion
  130. fails; otherwise googletest will attempt to print them in the best way it can.
  131. For more details and how to customize the printing of the arguments, see the
  132. [documentation](../../googlemock/docs/cook_book.md#teaching-gmock-how-to-print-your-values).
  133. These assertions can work with a user-defined type, but only if you define the
  134. corresponding comparison operator (e.g., `==` or `<`). Since this is discouraged
  135. by the Google
  136. [C++ Style Guide](https://google.github.io/styleguide/cppguide.html#Operator_Overloading),
  137. you may need to use `ASSERT_TRUE()` or `EXPECT_TRUE()` to assert the equality of
  138. two objects of a user-defined type.
  139. However, when possible, `ASSERT_EQ(actual, expected)` is preferred to
  140. `ASSERT_TRUE(actual == expected)`, since it tells you `actual` and `expected`'s
  141. values on failure.
  142. Arguments are always evaluated exactly once. Therefore, it's OK for the
  143. arguments to have side effects. However, as with any ordinary C/C++ function,
  144. the arguments' evaluation order is undefined (i.e., the compiler is free to
  145. choose any order), and your code should not depend on any particular argument
  146. evaluation order.
  147. `ASSERT_EQ()` does pointer equality on pointers. If used on two C strings, it
  148. tests if they are in the same memory location, not if they have the same value.
  149. Therefore, if you want to compare C strings (e.g. `const char*`) by value, use
  150. `ASSERT_STREQ()`, which will be described later on. In particular, to assert
  151. that a C string is `NULL`, use `ASSERT_STREQ(c_string, NULL)`. Consider using
  152. `ASSERT_EQ(c_string, nullptr)` if c++11 is supported. To compare two `string`
  153. objects, you should use `ASSERT_EQ`.
  154. When doing pointer comparisons use `*_EQ(ptr, nullptr)` and `*_NE(ptr, nullptr)`
  155. instead of `*_EQ(ptr, NULL)` and `*_NE(ptr, NULL)`. This is because `nullptr` is
  156. typed, while `NULL` is not. See the [FAQ](faq.md) for more details.
  157. If you're working with floating point numbers, you may want to use the floating
  158. point variations of some of these macros in order to avoid problems caused by
  159. rounding. See [Advanced googletest Topics](advanced.md) for details.
  160. Macros in this section work with both narrow and wide string objects (`string`
  161. and `wstring`).
  162. **Availability**: Linux, Windows, Mac.
  163. **Historical note**: Before February 2016 `*_EQ` had a convention of calling it
  164. as `ASSERT_EQ(expected, actual)`, so lots of existing code uses this order. Now
  165. `*_EQ` treats both parameters in the same way.
  166. ### String Comparison
  167. The assertions in this group compare two **C strings**. If you want to compare
  168. two `string` objects, use `EXPECT_EQ`, `EXPECT_NE`, and etc instead.
  169. <!-- mdformat off(github rendering does not support multiline tables) -->
  170. | Fatal assertion | Nonfatal assertion | Verifies |
  171. | -------------------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
  172. | `ASSERT_STREQ(str1,str2);` | `EXPECT_STREQ(str1,str2);` | the two C strings have the same content |
  173. | `ASSERT_STRNE(str1,str2);` | `EXPECT_STRNE(str1,str2);` | the two C strings have different contents |
  174. | `ASSERT_STRCASEEQ(str1,str2);` | `EXPECT_STRCASEEQ(str1,str2);` | the two C strings have the same content, ignoring case |
  175. | `ASSERT_STRCASENE(str1,str2);` | `EXPECT_STRCASENE(str1,str2);` | the two C strings have different contents, ignoring case |
  176. <!-- mdformat on-->
  177. Note that "CASE" in an assertion name means that case is ignored. A `NULL`
  178. pointer and an empty string are considered *different*.
  179. `*STREQ*` and `*STRNE*` also accept wide C strings (`wchar_t*`). If a comparison
  180. of two wide strings fails, their values will be printed as UTF-8 narrow strings.
  181. **Availability**: Linux, Windows, Mac.
  182. **See also**: For more string comparison tricks (substring, prefix, suffix, and
  183. regular expression matching, for example), see [this](advanced.md) in the
  184. Advanced googletest Guide.
  185. ## Simple Tests
  186. To create a test:
  187. 1. Use the `TEST()` macro to define and name a test function. These are
  188. ordinary C++ functions that don't return a value.
  189. 2. In this function, along with any valid C++ statements you want to include,
  190. use the various googletest assertions to check values.
  191. 3. The test's result is determined by the assertions; if any assertion in the
  192. test fails (either fatally or non-fatally), or if the test crashes, the
  193. entire test fails. Otherwise, it succeeds.
  194. ```c++
  195. TEST(TestSuiteName, TestName) {
  196. ... test body ...
  197. }
  198. ```
  199. `TEST()` arguments go from general to specific. The *first* argument is the name
  200. of the test suite, and the *second* argument is the test's name within the test
  201. case. Both names must be valid C++ identifiers, and they should not contain
  202. any underscores (`_`). A test's *full name* consists of its containing test suite and
  203. its individual name. Tests from different test suites can have the same
  204. individual name.
  205. For example, let's take a simple integer function:
  206. ```c++
  207. int Factorial(int n); // Returns the factorial of n
  208. ```
  209. A test suite for this function might look like:
  210. ```c++
  211. // Tests factorial of 0.
  212. TEST(FactorialTest, HandlesZeroInput) {
  213. EXPECT_EQ(Factorial(0), 1);
  214. }
  215. // Tests factorial of positive numbers.
  216. TEST(FactorialTest, HandlesPositiveInput) {
  217. EXPECT_EQ(Factorial(1), 1);
  218. EXPECT_EQ(Factorial(2), 2);
  219. EXPECT_EQ(Factorial(3), 6);
  220. EXPECT_EQ(Factorial(8), 40320);
  221. }
  222. ```
  223. googletest groups the test results by test suites, so logically related tests
  224. should be in the same test suite; in other words, the first argument to their
  225. `TEST()` should be the same. In the above example, we have two tests,
  226. `HandlesZeroInput` and `HandlesPositiveInput`, that belong to the same test
  227. suite `FactorialTest`.
  228. When naming your test suites and tests, you should follow the same convention as
  229. for
  230. [naming functions and classes](https://google.github.io/styleguide/cppguide.html#Function_Names).
  231. **Availability**: Linux, Windows, Mac.
  232. ## Test Fixtures: Using the Same Data Configuration for Multiple Tests {#same-data-multiple-tests}
  233. If you find yourself writing two or more tests that operate on similar data, you
  234. can use a *test fixture*. This allows you to reuse the same configuration of
  235. objects for several different tests.
  236. To create a fixture:
  237. 1. Derive a class from `::testing::Test` . Start its body with `protected:`, as
  238. we'll want to access fixture members from sub-classes.
  239. 2. Inside the class, declare any objects you plan to use.
  240. 3. If necessary, write a default constructor or `SetUp()` function to prepare
  241. the objects for each test. A common mistake is to spell `SetUp()` as
  242. **`Setup()`** with a small `u` - Use `override` in C++11 to make sure you
  243. spelled it correctly.
  244. 4. If necessary, write a destructor or `TearDown()` function to release any
  245. resources you allocated in `SetUp()` . To learn when you should use the
  246. constructor/destructor and when you should use `SetUp()/TearDown()`, read
  247. the [FAQ](faq.md#CtorVsSetUp).
  248. 5. If needed, define subroutines for your tests to share.
  249. When using a fixture, use `TEST_F()` instead of `TEST()` as it allows you to
  250. access objects and subroutines in the test fixture:
  251. ```c++
  252. TEST_F(TestFixtureName, TestName) {
  253. ... test body ...
  254. }
  255. ```
  256. Like `TEST()`, the first argument is the test suite name, but for `TEST_F()`
  257. this must be the name of the test fixture class. You've probably guessed: `_F`
  258. is for fixture.
  259. Unfortunately, the C++ macro system does not allow us to create a single macro
  260. that can handle both types of tests. Using the wrong macro causes a compiler
  261. error.
  262. Also, you must first define a test fixture class before using it in a
  263. `TEST_F()`, or you'll get the compiler error "`virtual outside class
  264. declaration`".
  265. For each test defined with `TEST_F()`, googletest will create a *fresh* test
  266. fixture at runtime, immediately initialize it via `SetUp()`, run the test,
  267. clean up by calling `TearDown()`, and then delete the test fixture. Note that
  268. different tests in the same test suite have different test fixture objects, and
  269. googletest always deletes a test fixture before it creates the next one.
  270. googletest does **not** reuse the same test fixture for multiple tests. Any
  271. changes one test makes to the fixture do not affect other tests.
  272. As an example, let's write tests for a FIFO queue class named `Queue`, which has
  273. the following interface:
  274. ```c++
  275. template <typename E> // E is the element type.
  276. class Queue {
  277. public:
  278. Queue();
  279. void Enqueue(const E& element);
  280. E* Dequeue(); // Returns NULL if the queue is empty.
  281. size_t size() const;
  282. ...
  283. };
  284. ```
  285. First, define a fixture class. By convention, you should give it the name
  286. `FooTest` where `Foo` is the class being tested.
  287. ```c++
  288. class QueueTest : public ::testing::Test {
  289. protected:
  290. void SetUp() override {
  291. q1_.Enqueue(1);
  292. q2_.Enqueue(2);
  293. q2_.Enqueue(3);
  294. }
  295. // void TearDown() override {}
  296. Queue<int> q0_;
  297. Queue<int> q1_;
  298. Queue<int> q2_;
  299. };
  300. ```
  301. In this case, `TearDown()` is not needed since we don't have to clean up after
  302. each test, other than what's already done by the destructor.
  303. Now we'll write tests using `TEST_F()` and this fixture.
  304. ```c++
  305. TEST_F(QueueTest, IsEmptyInitially) {
  306. EXPECT_EQ(q0_.size(), 0);
  307. }
  308. TEST_F(QueueTest, DequeueWorks) {
  309. int* n = q0_.Dequeue();
  310. EXPECT_EQ(n, nullptr);
  311. n = q1_.Dequeue();
  312. ASSERT_NE(n, nullptr);
  313. EXPECT_EQ(*n, 1);
  314. EXPECT_EQ(q1_.size(), 0);
  315. delete n;
  316. n = q2_.Dequeue();
  317. ASSERT_NE(n, nullptr);
  318. EXPECT_EQ(*n, 2);
  319. EXPECT_EQ(q2_.size(), 1);
  320. delete n;
  321. }
  322. ```
  323. The above uses both `ASSERT_*` and `EXPECT_*` assertions. The rule of thumb is
  324. to use `EXPECT_*` when you want the test to continue to reveal more errors after
  325. the assertion failure, and use `ASSERT_*` when continuing after failure doesn't
  326. make sense. For example, the second assertion in the `Dequeue` test is
  327. `ASSERT_NE(nullptr, n)`, as we need to dereference the pointer `n` later, which
  328. would lead to a segfault when `n` is `NULL`.
  329. When these tests run, the following happens:
  330. 1. googletest constructs a `QueueTest` object (let's call it `t1`).
  331. 2. `t1.SetUp()` initializes `t1`.
  332. 3. The first test (`IsEmptyInitially`) runs on `t1`.
  333. 4. `t1.TearDown()` cleans up after the test finishes.
  334. 5. `t1` is destructed.
  335. 6. The above steps are repeated on another `QueueTest` object, this time
  336. running the `DequeueWorks` test.
  337. **Availability**: Linux, Windows, Mac.
  338. ## Invoking the Tests
  339. `TEST()` and `TEST_F()` implicitly register their tests with googletest. So,
  340. unlike with many other C++ testing frameworks, you don't have to re-list all
  341. your defined tests in order to run them.
  342. After defining your tests, you can run them with `RUN_ALL_TESTS()`, which
  343. returns `0` if all the tests are successful, or `1` otherwise. Note that
  344. `RUN_ALL_TESTS()` runs *all tests* in your link unit--they can be from
  345. different test suites, or even different source files.
  346. When invoked, the `RUN_ALL_TESTS()` macro:
  347. * Saves the state of all googletest flags.
  348. * Creates a test fixture object for the first test.
  349. * Initializes it via `SetUp()`.
  350. * Runs the test on the fixture object.
  351. * Cleans up the fixture via `TearDown()`.
  352. * Deletes the fixture.
  353. * Restores the state of all googletest flags.
  354. * Repeats the above steps for the next test, until all tests have run.
  355. If a fatal failure happens the subsequent steps will be skipped.
  356. > IMPORTANT: You must **not** ignore the return value of `RUN_ALL_TESTS()`, or
  357. > you will get a compiler error. The rationale for this design is that the
  358. > automated testing service determines whether a test has passed based on its
  359. > exit code, not on its stdout/stderr output; thus your `main()` function must
  360. > return the value of `RUN_ALL_TESTS()`.
  361. >
  362. > Also, you should call `RUN_ALL_TESTS()` only **once**. Calling it more than
  363. > once conflicts with some advanced googletest features (e.g., thread-safe
  364. > [death tests](advanced.md#death-tests)) and thus is not supported.
  365. **Availability**: Linux, Windows, Mac.
  366. ## Writing the main() Function
  367. Write your own main() function, which should return the value of
  368. `RUN_ALL_TESTS()`.
  369. You can start from this boilerplate:
  370. ```c++
  371. #include "this/package/foo.h"
  372. #include "gtest/gtest.h"
  373. namespace {
  374. // The fixture for testing class Foo.
  375. class FooTest : public ::testing::Test {
  376. protected:
  377. // You can remove any or all of the following functions if its body
  378. // is empty.
  379. FooTest() {
  380. // You can do set-up work for each test here.
  381. }
  382. ~FooTest() override {
  383. // You can do clean-up work that doesn't throw exceptions here.
  384. }
  385. // If the constructor and destructor are not enough for setting up
  386. // and cleaning up each test, you can define the following methods:
  387. void SetUp() override {
  388. // Code here will be called immediately after the constructor (right
  389. // before each test).
  390. }
  391. void TearDown() override {
  392. // Code here will be called immediately after each test (right
  393. // before the destructor).
  394. }
  395. // Objects declared here can be used by all tests in the test suite for Foo.
  396. };
  397. // Tests that the Foo::Bar() method does Abc.
  398. TEST_F(FooTest, MethodBarDoesAbc) {
  399. const std::string input_filepath = "this/package/testdata/myinputfile.dat";
  400. const std::string output_filepath = "this/package/testdata/myoutputfile.dat";
  401. Foo f;
  402. EXPECT_EQ(f.Bar(input_filepath, output_filepath), 0);
  403. }
  404. // Tests that Foo does Xyz.
  405. TEST_F(FooTest, DoesXyz) {
  406. // Exercises the Xyz feature of Foo.
  407. }
  408. } // namespace
  409. int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  410. ::testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
  411. return RUN_ALL_TESTS();
  412. }
  413. ```
  414. The `::testing::InitGoogleTest()` function parses the command line for
  415. googletest flags, and removes all recognized flags. This allows the user to
  416. control a test program's behavior via various flags, which we'll cover in
  417. the [AdvancedGuide](advanced.md). You **must** call this function before calling
  418. `RUN_ALL_TESTS()`, or the flags won't be properly initialized.
  419. On Windows, `InitGoogleTest()` also works with wide strings, so it can be used
  420. in programs compiled in `UNICODE` mode as well.
  421. But maybe you think that writing all those main() functions is too much work? We
  422. agree with you completely, and that's why Google Test provides a basic
  423. implementation of main(). If it fits your needs, then just link your test with
  424. gtest\_main library and you are good to go.
  425. NOTE: `ParseGUnitFlags()` is deprecated in favor of `InitGoogleTest()`.
  426. ## Known Limitations
  427. * Google Test is designed to be thread-safe. The implementation is thread-safe
  428. on systems where the `pthreads` library is available. It is currently
  429. _unsafe_ to use Google Test assertions from two threads concurrently on
  430. other systems (e.g. Windows). In most tests this is not an issue as usually
  431. the assertions are done in the main thread. If you want to help, you can
  432. volunteer to implement the necessary synchronization primitives in
  433. `gtest-port.h` for your platform.