TAP::Parser - Parse L<TAP|Test::Harness::TAP> output

NAME

TAP::Parser - Parse TAP output

VERSION

Version 3.42

SYNOPSIS

    use TAP::Parser;
    my $parser = TAP::Parser->new( { source => $source } );
    while ( my $result = $parser->next ) {
        print $result->as_string;
    }

DESCRIPTION

TAP::Parser is designed to produce a proper parse of TAP output. For an example of how to run tests through this module, see the simple harnesses examples/.

There's a wiki dedicated to the Test Anything Protocol:

http://testanything.org

It includes the TAP::Parser Cookbook:

http://testanything.org/testing-with-tap/perl/tap::parser-cookbook.html

METHODS

Class Methods

new

 my $parser = TAP::Parser->new(\%args);

Returns a new TAP::Parser object.

The arguments should be a hashref with one of the following keys:

The following keys are optional.

Instance Methods

next

  my $parser = TAP::Parser->new( { source => $file } );
  while ( my $result = $parser->next ) {
      print $result->as_string, "\n";
  }

This method returns the results of the parsing, one result at a time. Note that it is destructive. You can't rewind and examine previous results.

If callbacks are used, they will be issued before this call returns.

Each result returned is a subclass of the TAP::Parser::Result manpage. See that module and related classes for more information on how to use them.

run

  $parser->run;

This method merely runs the parser and parses all of the TAP.

make_grammar

Make a new the TAP::Parser::Grammar manpage object and return it. Passes through any arguments given.

The grammar_class can be customized, as described in new.

make_result

Make a new the TAP::Parser::Result manpage object using the parser's the TAP::Parser::ResultFactory manpage, and return it. Passes through any arguments given.

The result_factory_class can be customized, as described in new.

make_iterator_factory

NEW to 3.18.

Make a new the TAP::Parser::IteratorFactory manpage object and return it. Passes through any arguments given.

iterator_factory_class can be customized, as described in new.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

If you've read this far in the docs, you've seen this:

    while ( my $result = $parser->next ) {
        print $result->as_string;
    }

Each result returned is a the TAP::Parser::Result manpage subclass, referred to as result types.

Result types

Basically, you fetch individual results from the TAP. The six types, with examples of each, are as follows:

Each result fetched is a result object of a different type. There are common methods to each result object and different types may have methods unique to their type. Sometimes a type method may be overridden in a subclass, but its use is guaranteed to be identical.

Common type methods

type

Returns the type of result, such as comment or test.

as_string

Prints a string representation of the token. This might not be the exact output, however. Tests will have test numbers added if not present, TODO and SKIP directives will be capitalized and, in general, things will be cleaned up. If you need the original text for the token, see the raw method.

raw

Returns the original line of text which was parsed.

is_plan

Indicates whether or not this is the test plan line.

is_test

Indicates whether or not this is a test line.

is_comment

Indicates whether or not this is a comment. Comments will generally only appear in the TAP stream if STDERR is merged to STDOUT. See the merge option.

is_bailout

Indicates whether or not this is bailout line.

is_yaml

Indicates whether or not the current item is a YAML block.

is_unknown

Indicates whether or not the current line could be parsed.

is_ok

  if ( $result->is_ok ) { ... }

Reports whether or not a given result has passed. Anything which is not a test result returns true. This is merely provided as a convenient shortcut which allows you to do this:

 my $parser = TAP::Parser->new( { source => $source } );
 while ( my $result = $parser->next ) {
     # only print failing results
     print $result->as_string unless $result->is_ok;
 }

plan methods

 if ( $result->is_plan ) { ... }

If the above evaluates as true, the following methods will be available on the $result object.

plan

  if ( $result->is_plan ) {
     print $result->plan;
  }

This is merely a synonym for as_string.

directive

 my $directive = $result->directive;

If a SKIP directive is included with the plan, this method will return it.

 1..0 # SKIP: why bother?

explanation

 my $explanation = $result->explanation;

If a SKIP directive was included with the plan, this method will return the explanation, if any.

pragma methods

 if ( $result->is_pragma ) { ... }

If the above evaluates as true, the following methods will be available on the $result object.

pragmas

Returns a list of pragmas each of which is a + or - followed by the pragma name.

comment methods

 if ( $result->is_comment ) { ... }

If the above evaluates as true, the following methods will be available on the $result object.

comment

  if ( $result->is_comment ) {
      my $comment = $result->comment;
      print "I have something to say:  $comment";
  }

bailout methods

 if ( $result->is_bailout ) { ... }

If the above evaluates as true, the following methods will be available on the $result object.

explanation

  if ( $result->is_bailout ) {
      my $explanation = $result->explanation;
      print "We bailed out because ($explanation)";
  }

If, and only if, a token is a bailout token, you can get an ``explanation'' via this method. The explanation is the text after the mystical ``Bail out!'' words which appear in the tap output.

unknown methods

 if ( $result->is_unknown ) { ... }

There are no unique methods for unknown results.

test methods

 if ( $result->is_test ) { ... }

If the above evaluates as true, the following methods will be available on the $result object.

ok

  my $ok = $result->ok;

Returns the literal text of the ok or not ok status.

number

  my $test_number = $result->number;

Returns the number of the test, even if the original TAP output did not supply that number.

description

  my $description = $result->description;

Returns the description of the test, if any. This is the portion after the test number but before the directive.

directive

  my $directive = $result->directive;

Returns either TODO or SKIP if either directive was present for a test line.

explanation

  my $explanation = $result->explanation;

If a test had either a TODO or SKIP directive, this method will return the accompanying explanation, if present.

  not ok 17 - 'Pigs can fly' # TODO not enough acid

For the above line, the explanation is not enough acid.

is_ok

  if ( $result->is_ok ) { ... }

Returns a boolean value indicating whether or not the test passed. Remember that for TODO tests, the test always passes.

Note: this was formerly passed. The latter method is deprecated and will issue a warning.

is_actual_ok

  if ( $result->is_actual_ok ) { ... }

Returns a boolean value indicating whether or not the test passed, regardless of its TODO status.

Note: this was formerly actual_passed. The latter method is deprecated and will issue a warning.

is_unplanned

  if ( $test->is_unplanned ) { ... }

If a test number is greater than the number of planned tests, this method will return true. Unplanned tests will always return false for is_ok, regardless of whether or not the test has_todo (see the TAP::Parser::Result::Test manpage for more information about this).

has_skip

  if ( $result->has_skip ) { ... }

Returns a boolean value indicating whether or not this test had a SKIP directive.

has_todo

  if ( $result->has_todo ) { ... }

Returns a boolean value indicating whether or not this test had a TODO directive.

Note that TODO tests always pass. If you need to know whether or not they really passed, check the is_actual_ok method.

in_todo

  if ( $parser->in_todo ) { ... }

True while the most recent result was a TODO. Becomes true before the TODO result is returned and stays true until just before the next non- TODO test is returned.

TOTAL RESULTS

After parsing the TAP, there are many methods available to let you dig through the results and determine what is meaningful to you.

Individual Results

These results refer to individual tests which are run.

passed

 my @passed = $parser->passed; # the test numbers which passed
 my $passed = $parser->passed; # the number of tests which passed

This method lets you know which (or how many) tests passed. If a test failed but had a TODO directive, it will be counted as a passed test.

failed

 my @failed = $parser->failed; # the test numbers which failed
 my $failed = $parser->failed; # the number of tests which failed

This method lets you know which (or how many) tests failed. If a test passed but had a TODO directive, it will NOT be counted as a failed test.

actual_passed

 # the test numbers which actually passed
 my @actual_passed = $parser->actual_passed;
 # the number of tests which actually passed
 my $actual_passed = $parser->actual_passed;

This method lets you know which (or how many) tests actually passed, regardless of whether or not a TODO directive was found.

actual_ok

This method is a synonym for actual_passed.

actual_failed

 # the test numbers which actually failed
 my @actual_failed = $parser->actual_failed;
 # the number of tests which actually failed
 my $actual_failed = $parser->actual_failed;

This method lets you know which (or how many) tests actually failed, regardless of whether or not a TODO directive was found.

todo

 my @todo = $parser->todo; # the test numbers with todo directives
 my $todo = $parser->todo; # the number of tests with todo directives

This method lets you know which (or how many) tests had TODO directives.

todo_passed

 # the test numbers which unexpectedly succeeded
 my @todo_passed = $parser->todo_passed;
 # the number of tests which unexpectedly succeeded
 my $todo_passed = $parser->todo_passed;

This method lets you know which (or how many) tests actually passed but were declared as ``TODO'' tests.

todo_failed

  # deprecated in favor of 'todo_passed'.  This method was horribly misnamed.

This was a badly misnamed method. It indicates which TODO tests unexpectedly succeeded. Will now issue a warning and call todo_passed.

skipped

 my @skipped = $parser->skipped; # the test numbers with SKIP directives
 my $skipped = $parser->skipped; # the number of tests with SKIP directives

This method lets you know which (or how many) tests had SKIP directives.

Pragmas

pragma

Get or set a pragma. To get the state of a pragma:

  if ( $p->pragma('strict') ) {
      # be strict
  }

To set the state of a pragma:

  $p->pragma('strict', 1); # enable strict mode

pragmas

Get a list of all the currently enabled pragmas:

  my @pragmas_enabled = $p->pragmas;

Summary Results

These results are ``meta'' information about the total results of an individual test program.

plan

 my $plan = $parser->plan;

Returns the test plan, if found.

good_plan

Deprecated. Use is_good_plan instead.

is_good_plan

  if ( $parser->is_good_plan ) { ... }

Returns a boolean value indicating whether or not the number of tests planned matches the number of tests run.

Note: this was formerly good_plan. The latter method is deprecated and will issue a warning.

And since we're on that subject ...

tests_planned

  print $parser->tests_planned;

Returns the number of tests planned, according to the plan. For example, a plan of '1..17' will mean that 17 tests were planned.

tests_run

  print $parser->tests_run;

Returns the number of tests which actually were run. Hopefully this will match the number of $parser->tests_planned.

skip_all

Returns a true value (actually the reason for skipping) if all tests were skipped.

start_time

Returns the wall-clock time when the Parser was created.

end_time

Returns the wall-clock time when the end of TAP input was seen.

start_times

Returns the CPU times (like times in the perlfunc manpage when the Parser was created.

end_times

Returns the CPU times (like times in the perlfunc manpage when the end of TAP input was seen.

has_problems

  if ( $parser->has_problems ) {
      ...
  }

This is a 'catch-all' method which returns true if any tests have currently failed, any TODO tests unexpectedly succeeded, or any parse errors occurred.

version

  $parser->version;

Once the parser is done, this will return the version number for the parsed TAP. Version numbers were introduced with TAP version 13 so if no version number is found version 12 is assumed.

exit

  $parser->exit;

Once the parser is done, this will return the exit status. If the parser ran an executable, it returns the exit status of the executable.

wait

  $parser->wait;

Once the parser is done, this will return the wait status. If the parser ran an executable, it returns the wait status of the executable. Otherwise, this merely returns the exit status.

ignore_exit

  $parser->ignore_exit(1);

Tell the parser to ignore the exit status from the test when determining whether the test passed. Normally tests with non-zero exit status are considered to have failed even if all individual tests passed. In cases where it is not possible to control the exit value of the test script use this option to ignore it.

parse_errors

 my @errors = $parser->parse_errors; # the parser errors
 my $errors = $parser->parse_errors; # the number of parser_errors

Fortunately, all TAP output is perfect. In the event that it is not, this method will return parser errors. Note that a junk line which the parser does not recognize is not an error. This allows this parser to handle future versions of TAP. The following are all TAP errors reported by the parser:

get_select_handles

Get an a list of file handles which can be passed to select to determine the readiness of this parser.

delete_spool

Delete and return the spool.

  my $fh = $parser->delete_spool;

CALLBACKS

As mentioned earlier, a ``callback'' key may be added to the TAP::Parser constructor. If present, each callback corresponding to a given result type will be called with the result as the argument if the run method is used. The callback is expected to be a subroutine reference (or anonymous subroutine) which is invoked with the parser result as its argument.

 my %callbacks = (
     test    => \&test_callback,
     plan    => \&plan_callback,
     comment => \&comment_callback,
     bailout => \&bailout_callback,
     unknown => \&unknown_callback,
 );
 my $aggregator = TAP::Parser::Aggregator->new;
 for my $file ( @test_files ) {
     my $parser = TAP::Parser->new(
         {
             source    => $file,
             callbacks => \%callbacks,
         }
     );
     $parser->run;
     $aggregator->add( $file, $parser );
 }

Callbacks may also be added like this:

 $parser->callback( test => \&test_callback );
 $parser->callback( plan => \&plan_callback );

The following keys allowed for callbacks. These keys are case-sensitive.

TAP GRAMMAR

If you're looking for an EBNF grammar, see the TAP::Parser::Grammar manpage.

BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY

The Perl-QA list attempted to ensure backwards compatibility with the Test::Harness manpage. However, there are some minor differences.

Differences

SUBCLASSING

If you find you need to provide custom functionality (as you would have using the Test::Harness::Straps manpage), you're in luck: TAP::Parser and friends are designed to be easily plugged-into and/or subclassed.

Before you start, it's important to know a few things:

  1. All TAP::* objects inherit from the TAP::Object manpage.

  2. Many TAP::* classes have a SUBCLASSING section to guide you.

  3. Note that TAP::Parser is designed to be the central ``maker'' - ie: it is responsible for creating most new objects in the TAP::Parser::* namespace.

    This makes it possible for you to have a single point of configuring what subclasses should be used, which means that in many cases you'll find you only need to sub-class one of the parser's components.

    The exception to this rule are SourceHandlers & Iterators, but those are both created with customizable IteratorFactory.

  4. By subclassing, you may end up overriding undocumented methods. That's not a bad thing per se, but be forewarned that undocumented methods may change without warning from one release to the next - we cannot guarantee backwards compatibility. If any documented method needs changing, it will be deprecated first, and changed in a later release.

Parser Components

Sources

A TAP parser consumes input from a single raw source of TAP, which could come from anywhere (a file, an executable, a database, an IO handle, a URI, etc..). The source gets bundled up in a the TAP::Parser::Source manpage object which gathers some meta data about it. The parser then uses a the TAP::Parser::IteratorFactory manpage to determine which the TAP::Parser::SourceHandler manpage to use to turn the raw source into a stream of TAP by way of Iterators.

If you simply want TAP::Parser to handle a new source of TAP you probably don't need to subclass TAP::Parser itself. Rather, you'll need to create a new the TAP::Parser::SourceHandler manpage class, and just plug it into the parser using the sources param to new. Before you start writing one, read through the TAP::Parser::IteratorFactory manpage to get a feel for how the system works first.

If you find you really need to use your own iterator factory you can still do so without sub-classing TAP::Parser by setting iterator_factory_class.

If you just need to customize the objects on creation, subclass the TAP::Parser manpage and override make_iterator_factory.

Note that make_source & make_perl_source have been DEPRECATED and are now removed.

Iterators

A TAP parser uses iterators to loop through the stream of TAP read in from the source it was given. There are a few types of Iterators available by default, all sub-classes of the TAP::Parser::Iterator manpage. Choosing which iterator to use is the responsibility of the iterator factory, though it simply delegates to the Source Handler it uses.

If you're writing your own the TAP::Parser::SourceHandler manpage, you may need to create your own iterators too. If so you'll need to subclass the TAP::Parser::Iterator manpage.

Note that make_iterator has been DEPRECATED and is now removed.

Results

A TAP parser creates the TAP::Parser::Result manpages as it iterates through the input stream. There are quite a few result types available; choosing which class to use is the responsibility of the result factory.

To create your own result types you have two options:

option 1
Subclass the TAP::Parser::Result manpage and register your new result type/class with the default the TAP::Parser::ResultFactory manpage.

option 2
Subclass the TAP::Parser::ResultFactory manpage itself and implement your own the TAP::Parser::Result manpage creation logic. Then you'll need to customize the class used by your parser by setting the result_factory_class parameter. See new for more details.

If you need to customize the objects on creation, subclass the TAP::Parser manpage and override make_result.

Grammar

the TAP::Parser::Grammar manpage is the heart of the parser. It tokenizes the TAP input stream and produces results. If you need to customize its behaviour you should probably familiarize yourself with the source first. Enough lecturing.

Subclass the TAP::Parser::Grammar manpage and customize your parser by setting the grammar_class parameter. See new for more details.

If you need to customize the objects on creation, subclass the TAP::Parser manpage and override make_grammar

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

All of the following have helped. Bug reports, patches, (im)moral support, or just words of encouragement have all been forthcoming.

AUTHORS

Curtis ``Ovid'' Poe <ovid@cpan.org>

Andy Armstong <andy@hexten.net>

Eric Wilhelm @ <ewilhelm at cpan dot org>

Michael Peters <mpeters at plusthree dot com>

Leif Eriksen <leif dot eriksen at bigpond dot com>

Steve Purkis <spurkis@cpan.org>

Nicholas Clark <nick@ccl4.org>

Lee Johnson <notfadeaway at btinternet dot com>

Philippe Bruhat <book@cpan.org>

BUGS

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-test-harness@rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html. We will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as we make changes.

Obviously, bugs which include patches are best. If you prefer, you can patch against bleed by via anonymous checkout of the latest version:

 git clone git://github.com/Perl-Toolchain-Gang/Test-Harness.git

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE

Copyright 2006-2008 Curtis ``Ovid'' Poe, all rights reserved.

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

 TAP::Parser - Parse L<TAP|Test::Harness::TAP> output