cSpec - A Full Scale Testing Library

cSpec is a lightweight, compile time unit testing library for TDD and BDD models, heavily inspired by ruby's RSpec.

Why

cSpec provides an interface for creating both low level tests in the form of simple assertions, as well as high level integration or even acceptance tests in the form of describes or contexts. These tools will allow the programmer to encapsulate test modules that will be maintainable throughout huge projects.

Features

• Assertion macro for test blocks
  • assert_that(test)
• Assertion macros for different data types
  • assert_that_int(actual, expected)
  • assert_that_double(actual, expected)
  • assert_that_charptr(actual, expected)
• Assertions for arrays
  • assert_that_int_array(actual, expected, length)
  • assert_that_double_array(actual, expected, length)
  • assert_that_charptr_array(actual, expected, length)
• False assertions macro calls for defined data types
  • nassert_that_*

Usage

• Include the cSpec.h file your project (compiled into the export directory)
• All directives are defined in this one header

Contributing

1. Fork it (https://github.com/Oblivious-Oblivious/cSpec/fork)
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b my-new-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add some feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin my-new-feature)
5. Create a new Pull Request

Contributors

• oblivious - creator and maintainer

Basic usage

Good practice for defining cSpec tests goes as follows:

• Define a spec file named: mySuite.spec.c
• Include the header files of the code to be tested.
• If you have multiple modules you can define them in different files named: myModule.module.h
• Define a spec suite of modules using spec_suite

Setting up the testing environment

Suppose we want to test a C project with a header and implementation file.

meaning_of_life.h

#ifndef __MEANING_OF_LIFE_H_
#define __MEANING_OF_LIFE_H_

/**
 * @func: find_meaning_of_life
 * @brief: Finds the ultimate answer to the great
 *      question of life the universe and everything
 * @return Returns the answer
 */
int find_meaning_of_life(void);

#endif

meaning_of_life.c

#include "meaning_of_life.h"

int find_meaning_of_life(void) {
  if(1 == 1) {
    return 42;
  }
}

We define a spec file as such:

meaning_of_life.spec.c

#include "meaning_of_life.h"
#include "cSpec.h"

module(lifeMod, {
  describe("what is life", {
    it("seeks for the meaning of life", {
      assert_that(find_meaning_of_life() is 42);
      assert_that_int(find_meaning_of_life() equals to 42);
    });
  });
})

int main(void) {
  /* We only want to print failing tests */
  cspec_run_suite("failing", {
    lifeMod();
  });
}

Alternatively we could define a module as such:

meaning_of_life.module.h

#ifndef __MEANING_OF_LIFE_MODULE_H_
#define __MEANING_OF_LIFE_MODULE_H_

module(lifeMod, {
  describe("what is life", {
    it("seeks for the meaning of life", {
      assert_that(find_meaning_of_life() is 42);
      assert_that_int(find_meaning_of_life() equals to 42);
    });
  });
})

#endif

and then include it in the spec file:

life.spec.c

#include "meaning_of_life.h"
#include "cSpec.h"

/* Get modules */
#include "meaning_of_life.module.h"

int main(void) {
  cspec_run_suite("failing", {
    lifeMod();
  });
}

Result:

It is a preety satisfying DSL, very intuitive and close to high level designs.

Basic Interface

• Interface

Creating asserts

When calling asserts, the main purpose is to validate some expression, to check for a true of false condition. cSpec uses a few abstractions for making assert statements look more natural.

#define is ==
#define isnot !=
#define equals ,
#define to
#define with
#define array_size ,

Using those constructs to call asserts we use the power of the C preprocessor to expand the macro like this:

• assert_that_int(actual equals to expected) --> assert_that_int(actual, expected)
• assert_that(value isnot 2) --> assert_that(value != 2)

---