org.junit.runner.Description should allow File and Line Number Specification about junit4

[pniederw]

relates to https://github.com/KentBeck/junit/issues/117

[dsaff]

Can you encode this information using Annotations passed in to the Description constructor?

[fowles]

If there were well defined annotations for file and line number and the UI knew to use those for when people click on the tests, then yes.

[fowles]

I had not intended to close this issue. Is there a way to reopen it?

[dsaff]

[I have an "Open" option under the Actions menu. I just used it. I don't know if that's available to everyone, or just project owners.]

[dsaff]

Eclipse currently parses the description, and finds a class and method based on that. I'd be thrilled if it had another option: the Eclipse committers and JUnit committers would need to agree on an API/format. Can you create an issue in the Eclipse bugzilla, and link it here, to get the conversation started? Thanks.

[fowles]

Opened the bug with the Eclipse folk at:

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=338770

[pniederw]

It would help if Description could be subclassed to override getMethodName(). Maybe not for this use case, but for similar ones.

[fowles]

I had considered that but it doesn't provide quite enough rope for the case where you have your tests written in a test specification language that you interpret. Because then you want to specify both a file and line, not just a method name.

[pniederw]

As I said, it depends on the specific requirements. In the case of my custom runner, the ability to subclass Description would solve the problem immediately.

[dsaff]

Matt,

Do you have a proposal about how this would work? Would there be one way of reporting location for descriptions that relate to Java classes and methods, and another for descriptions that related to non-Java files, or do you have a single, unified location strategy in mind? Thanks.

[fowles]

Currently the UI uses:

Description.getClassName()
Description.getMethodName()

which is unfortunately very specific to a JUnit class runner. I would suggest adding

Description.hasCustomLocation()
Description.getFileName()
Description.getLineNumber()

where the first method indicates that the other two should be used.

[dsaff]

Which UI are you talking about? Eclipse? IDEA?

[fowles]

Eclipse, although theoretically IDEA could want this too.

[dsaff]

I didn't think that Eclipse used Description.getClassName(). I wonder if we want something textual, like a UTL (uniform test locator):

method://org.junit.tests.core.RunnerTest/testFoo
project://testdata/scripts/test1.xml:23

This would give maximum flexibility for IDEs and custom runners to work together without needing additional API from JUnit. What do you think?

[fowles]

That would be fine with me. By default Description.getUTL() can return null and then IDEs can fallback to their current behavior.

[dsaff]

On second (third?) thought, I think that Annotations make the most sense: this information is obviously metadata, and adding a @filelocation annotation that runners could optionally add, and IDE's optionally honor, would require no change to the Description API. See https://github.com/KentBeck/junit/issues/198 for a similar proposal around test classes and methods.

[fowles]

The eclipse folks just need to be sure that the annotation survives across the wire.