Test::Harness(3p) | Perl Programmers Reference Guide | Test::Harness(3p)

# NAME

Test::Harness - Run Perl standard test scripts with statistics

# VERSION

Version 3.48

# SYNOPSIS

      use Test::Harness;
      runtests(@test_files);

# DESCRIPTION

Although, for historical reasons, the Test::Harness distribution takes its name from this module it now exists only to provide TAP::Harness with an interface that is somewhat backwards compatible with Test::Harness 2.xx. If you're writing new code consider using TAP::Harness directly instead.

Emulation is provided for "runtests" and "execute_tests" but the pluggable 'Straps' interface that previous versions of Test::Harness supported is not reproduced here. Straps is now available as a stand alone module: Test::Harness::Straps.

See TAP::Parser, TAP::Harness for the main documentation for this distribution.

# FUNCTIONS

The following functions are available.

## runtests( @test_files )

This runs all the given @test_files and divines whether they passed or failed based on their output to STDOUT (details above). It prints out each individual test which failed along with a summary report and a how long it all took.

It returns true if everything was ok. Otherwise it will die() with one of the messages in the DIAGNOSTICS section.

## execute_tests( tests => \@test_files, out => \*FH )

Runs all the given @test_files (just like runtests()) but doesn't generate the final report. During testing, progress information will be written to the currently selected output filehandle (usually "STDOUT"), or to the filehandle given by the "out" parameter. The out is optional.

Returns a list of two values, $total and $failed, describing the results. $total is a hash ref summary of all the tests run. Its keys and values are this:

        bonus           Number of individual todo tests unexpectedly passed
        max             Number of individual tests ran
        ok              Number of individual tests passed
        sub_skipped     Number of individual tests skipped
        todo            Number of individual todo tests
        files           Number of test files ran
        good            Number of test files passed
        bad             Number of test files failed
        tests           Number of test files originally given
        skipped         Number of test files skipped

If "$total->{bad} == 0" and "$total->{max} > 0", you've got a successful test.

$failed is a hash ref of all the test scripts that failed. Each key is the name of a test script, each value is another hash representing how that script failed. Its keys are these:

        name        Name of the test which failed
        estat       Script's exit value
        wstat       Script's wait status
        max         Number of individual tests
        failed      Number which failed
        canon       List of tests which failed (as string).

$failed should be empty if everything passed.

# EXPORT

&runtests is exported by "Test::Harness" by default.

&execute_tests, $verbose, $switches and $debug are exported upon request.

# ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES THAT TAP::HARNESS::COMPATIBLE SETS

"Test::Harness" sets these before executing the individual tests.

"HARNESS_ACTIVE"
  This is set to a true value. It allows the tests to determine if they are being executed through the harness or by any other means.
"HARNESS_VERSION"
  This is the version of "Test::Harness".

# ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES THAT AFFECT TEST::HARNESS

"HARNESS_PERL_SWITCHES"
  Setting this adds perl command line switches to each test file run.

  For example, "HARNESS_PERL_SWITCHES=-T" will turn on taint mode. "HARNESS_PERL_SWITCHES=-MDevel::Cover" will run "Devel::Cover" for each test.

  "-w" is always set. You can turn this off in the test with "BEGIN { $^W = 0 }".

"HARNESS_TIMER"
  Setting this to true will make the harness display the number of milliseconds each test took. You can also use prove's "--timer" switch.
"HARNESS_VERBOSE"
  If true, "Test::Harness" will output the verbose results of running its tests. Setting $Test::Harness::verbose will override this, or you can use the "-v" switch in the prove utility.
"HARNESS_OPTIONS"
  Provide additional options to the harness. Currently supported options are:

"j<n>"
  Run <n> (default 9) parallel jobs.
"c"
  Try to color output. See "new" in TAP::Formatter::Base.
"a<file.tgz>"
  Will use TAP::Harness::Archive as the harness class, and save the TAP to "file.tgz"
"fPackage-With-Dashes"
  Set the formatter_class of the harness being run. Since the "HARNESS_OPTIONS" is separated by ":", we use "-" instead.

Multiple options may be separated by colons:

        HARNESS_OPTIONS=j9:c make test

"HARNESS_SUBCLASS"
  Specifies a TAP::Harness subclass to be used in place of TAP::Harness.
"HARNESS_SUMMARY_COLOR_SUCCESS"
  Determines the Term::ANSIColor for the summary in case it is successful. This color defaults to 'green'.
"HARNESS_SUMMARY_COLOR_FAIL"
  Determines the Term::ANSIColor for the failure in case it is successful. This color defaults to 'red'.

# Taint Mode

Normally when a Perl program is run in taint mode the contents of the "PERL5LIB" environment variable do not appear in @INC.

Because "PERL5LIB" is often used during testing to add build directories to @INC "Test::Harness" passes the names of any directories found in "PERL5LIB" as -I switches. The net effect of this is that "PERL5LIB" is honoured even in taint mode.

# SEE ALSO

TAP::Harness

# BUGS

Please report any bugs or feature requests to "bug-test-harness at rt.cpan.org", or through the web interface at <http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Test-Harness>. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.

# AUTHORS

Andy Armstrong "<andy@hexten.net>"

Test::Harness 2.64 (maintained by Andy Lester and on which this module is based) has this attribution:

        Either Tim Bunce or Andreas Koenig, we don't know. What we know for
        sure is, that it was inspired by Larry Wall's F<TEST> script that came
        with perl distributions for ages. Numerous anonymous contributors
        exist.  Andreas Koenig held the torch for many years, and then
        Michael G Schwern.

# LICENCE AND COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2007-2011, Andy Armstrong "<andy@hexten.net>". All rights reserved.

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

2025-01-28 | perl v5.40.1