TestML - A Generic Software Testing Meta Language

# file t/testml/encode.tml
%TestML 0.1.0

Title = 'Tests for AcmeEncode'
Plan = 3

*text.apply_rot13 == *rot13
*text.apply_md5   == *md5

=== Encode some poetry
--- text
There once was a fellow named Ingy,
Combining languages twas his Thingy.
--- rot13
Gurer bapr jnf n sryybj anzrq Vatl,
Pbzovavat ynathntrf gjnf uvf Guvatl.
--- md5: 7a1538ff9fc8edf8ea55d02d0b0658be

=== Encode a password
--- text: soopersekrit
--- md5: 64002c26dcc62c1d6d0f1cb908de1435

This TestML document defines 2 assertions, and defines 2 data blocks. The first block has 3 data points, but the second one has only 2. Therefore the rot13 assertion applies only to the first block, while the the md5 assertion applies to both. This results in a total of 3 tests, which is specified in the meta Plan statement in the document.

To run this test you would have a normal test file that looks like this:

use TestML;
use t::Bridge;

TestML->new(
    testml => 'testml/encode.tml',
    bridge => 't::Bridge',
)->run;

The apply_* functions are defined in the bridge class that is specified outside this test (t/Bridge.pm).

TestML is a generic, programming language agnostic, meta language for writing unit tests. The idea is that you can use the same test files in multiple implementations of a given programming idea. Then you can be more certain that your application written in, say, Python matches your Perl implementation.

In a nutshell you write a bunch of data tests that have inputs and expected results. Using a simple syntax, you specify what functions the data must pass through to produce the expected results. You use a bridge class to write the data functions that pass the data through your application.

In Perl 5, TestML is the evolution of the Test::Base module. It has a superset of Test:Base's goals. The data markup syntax is currently exactly the same as Test::Base.

• http://www.testml.org/
• irc://irc.freenode.net#testml

Ingy döt Net [email protected]

Copyright (c) 2009-2014. Ingy döt Net.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

See http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html