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Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:05:50 +0100 (CET)
From: "Edgar Frank" <ef-lists@email.de>
To: modules-dev@httpd.apache.org
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Subject: Re: Howto unittest httpd modules?
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2010/11/11 Sorin Manolache:
>On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 08:11, Edgar Frank <ef-lists@email.de> wrote:
>> I've written a handful of modules for httpd. I'm now looking for a way to setup some unit tests. We have continuous integration running, so I want to supply some tests, starting from compiling against httpd to basic functionality to more elaborate feature tests.
>>
>> I wonder how to unit-test this, as the prerequsites are rather complicated. The tests would have to setup a httpd, provide a config, compile and install the modules. As you don't want to modify the modules themselves, you have to run a bunch of requests and monitor expected output - maybe measuring coverage or running valgrind on the way.
>>
>> I see no way to run "real" unit tests as you would have to emulate httpd and run your modules against it, as most of the code is httpd or at least highly APR dependent. I see no point in emulating httpd as you would have to implement every little detail - httpd specific behaviour (e.g. in version bumps) is one important thing to test IMHO.
>>
>> So, has anyone some experience with this, some suggestions, howtos or tutorials? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
>In our group we unit test only parts of our modules. We unit test the
>callbacks and their sequence (a sort of poor-man's emulation of
>httpd). We populate a request_rec structure and then we pass it to the
>various callbacks.
>
>Our callbacks are mainly wrappers around bigger functions that are
>httpd-independent. The apache filters are tested in this way.
>
>The part that needed more code in order to emulate httpd was the
>subrequest infrastructure.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately this is the way we're trying to avoid if possible.

Has anyone else some hints or best pratices, besides emulating httpd? Is there even another way?

Regards,
Edgar