Test Units Overview

What are STRIDE Test Units?

STRIDE Test Units is a general term for xUnit-style test modules running within the STRIDE runtime framework. These tests--written in C and C++--are compiled and linked with your embedded software and run in-place on your target hardware. They are suitable for both developer unit testing as well as ongoing regression testing.

An external Test Runner is provided which controls the execution of the tests and publishes test results to the local filesystem and optionally to S2's Internet STRIDE Test Space.

Test Unit Features

In all cases, STRIDE Test Units provide the following capabilities typical of all xUnit-style testing frameworks:

• Specification of a test as a test method
• Aggregation of individual tests into test suites which form execution and reporting units
• Specification of expected results within test methods (typically by using one or more Test Macros)
• Test fixturing (optional setup and teardown)
• Automated execution
• Automated results report generation

Unique Test Unit Features

In addition, STRIDE Test Units offer these unique features:

Remote Execution

Execution and reporting controlled from a remote host, thus making the framework useful for on-target embedded system testing

Dynamic Test and Suite Generation

Test cases and suites can be created and manipulated at runtime

Test Doubles

Dynamic runtime function substitution to implement on-the-fly mocks, stubs, and doubles

Asynchronous Testing Framework (Test Points)

Support for testing of asynchronous activities occurring in multiple threads

Multiprocess Testing Framework

Support for testing across multiple processes running simultaneously on the target

Automatic Timing Data Collection

Automatic "time under test" collection

Automatic Results Publishing to Local Disk and Internet

Automatic publishing of test results to STRIDE Test Space

Test Unit Deployment

Individual Tests

Individual test are implemented as test functions or methods which follow a four-phase testing pattern:

1. Setting up a test fixture (optional)
2. Exercising the System Under Test (SUT)
3. Verifying that the expected outcome has occurred (typically using calls to Assertion or Expectation Macros)
4. Tearing down the test fixture (optional)

Test Units

Individual functions or methods, which typically implement a single test case are grouped into one or more Test Units which are executed as atomic entities.

Grouping of individual tests into a Test Unit can be accomplished in any of three ways:

• A Test Unit can be comprised of the member functions of a C++ class,
• A Test Unit can be comprised of a set of C functions,
• A Test Unit can be comprised of C functions pointed to by members of a C struct

The best choice is usually the C++ class since it offers the best mix of features and ease-of-use. (You can test code written in C or C++ using the C++ class test units.) However, compiling C++ is not always possible, in this case one of the C-based test unit packaging options must be used.

You can freely mix different deployment methods across a project if desired, the format of the results is consistent across all test unit packaging options.

Simple Test Unit Examples

Following are a few short examples. In each example, a single test unit with the name "MyTest" is identified to the STRIDE compiler via a custom STRIDE #pragma.

Test Unit as C++ Class

MyTest.h

#include <srtest.h>
  
class MyTest : public stride::srTest 
{
public:
  void ExpectPass() 
  {
    srLOG_INFO("this test should pass");
    srEXPECT_EQ(2 + 2, 4); 
  }
  void ExpectFail() 
  {
    srLOG_INFO("this test should fail");
    srEXPECT_GT(2 * 3, 7); 
  }
  int ChangeMyName() 
  {
    srLOG_INFO("this test should have name = MyChangedName");
    testCase.SetName("MyChangedName");
    return 0;
  }
  int ChangeMyDescription() 
  {
    srLOG_INFO("this test should have a description set");
    testCase.SetDescription("this is my new description");
    return 0;
  }
};

#ifdef _SCL
// this pragma identifies MyTest as a test class to the STRIDE compiler
#pragma scl_test_class(MyTest)
#endif

Test Unit as C Class

MyTest.h

#include <srtest.h>
  

typdef struct MyTest
{
    void (*ExpectPass)(struct MyTest* self);
    void (*ExpectFail)(struct MyTest* self);
    int (*ChangeMyName)(struct MyTest* self);
    int (*ChangeMyDescription)(struct MyTest* self);
} MyTest;

void MyTest_Init(MyTest* self);

#ifdef _SCL
// This pragma identifies MyTest as a test c class to the STRIDE compiler.
// Extra instrumentation code will be generated to call MyTest_Init() before
// tests are run.
#pragma scl_test_cclass(MyTest, MyTest_Init)
#endif

MyTest.c

#include "MyTest.h"

static void ExpectPass(MyTest* self)
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should pass");
    srEXPECT_EQ(2 + 2, 4); 
}
static void ExpectFail(MyTest* self)
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should fail");
    srEXPECT_GT(2 * 3, 7); 
}
static int ChangeMyName(MyTest* self)
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should have name = MyChangedName");
    srTestCaseSetName(srTEST_CASE_DEFAULT, "MyChangedName");
    return 0;
}
static int ChangeMyDescription(MyTest* self)
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should have a description set");
    srTestCaseSetDescription(srTEST_CASE_DEFAULT, "this is my new description");
    return 0;
}
void MyTest_Init(MyTest* self)
{
    self->ExpectPass = ExpectPass;
    self->ExpectFail = ExpectFail;
    self->ChangeMyName = ChangeMyName;
    self->ChangeMyDescription = ChangeMyDescription;
}

Test Unit as Group of Free Functions

MyTest.h

#include <srtest.h>
void ExpectPass();
void ExpectFail();
int ChangeMyName();
int ChangeMyDescription();

#ifdef _SCL
// this pragma identifies MyTest as a test class to the STRIDE compiler
#pragma scl_test_flist("MyTest", ExpectPass, ExpectFail, ChangeMyName, ChangeMyDescription)
#endif

MyTest.c

#include "MyTest.h"

void ExpectPass()
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should pass");
    srEXPECT_EQ(2 + 2, 4); 
}
void ExpectFail()
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should fail");
    srEXPECT_GT(2 * 3, 7); 
}
int ChangeMyName()
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should have name = MyChangedName");
    srTestCaseSetName(srTEST_CASE_DEFAULT, "MyChangedName");
    return 0;
}
int ChangeMyDescription()
{
    srLOG_INFO("this test should have a description set");
    srTestCaseSetDescription(srTEST_CASE_DEFAULT, "this is my new description");
    return 0;
}

Integrating Test Units Into Your Target Build

STRIDE Test Units are easily integrated into your target build since all required test harnessing code is automatically generated based on header files that include STRIDE #pragmas.

This harnessing code (referred to as Intercept Module, or IM code) is responsible for

• Communicating with the I/O portion of the STRIDE target runtime
• Instantiating each specified Test Unit
• Running each member test of the Test Unit
• Collecting test output

Harnessing code generation is the responsibility of the STRIDE Build Tools. The useful artifacts created by the build tools comprise the STRIDE database (xx.sidb), and the IM source (strideIM.c/cpp, strideIM.h, and strideIMEntry.h).

To build a fully-instrumented target:

• Several statements are added to your applications main() function (or equivalent) to start and stop the STRIDE I/O and IM threads
• The generated IM source files are compiled and linked with your target application
• The STRIDE library (which provides I/O and common services) is also linked with your application.

Running Target-Based Tests

After configuring TCP/IP or COM port communication parameters, tests are controlled and run from a remote host computer. Test results are also reported from the host computer. Options are available to run a subset of the available test units and/or run test units in a specified order.