2.2.2. ./Build test

Standard CPAN and CPAN-like Perl packages contain their tests as a group of *.t under the sub-directory t/, and allow running them by invoking the make test or ./Build test commands.

Using the CPAN package Module-Starter one can generate a skeleton for one’s own CPAN-like package, which can also afterwards contain tests. Keeping your code organised in such packages, allows one to make use of a convenient build-system such as Module-Build. It also allows one to package it as operating-system-wide packages, which can be removed easily using the system's package manager. Finally, these packages can later be uploaded to CPAN for sharing with other users and developers.

Here’s an example of testing a CPAN distribution from CPAN using ./Build test:

shlomi:~/TEMP$ ls
shlomi:~/TEMP$ mv ~/Test-Count-0.0500.tar.gz .
shlomi:~/TEMP$ ls
Test-Count-0.0500.tar.gz
shlomi:~/TEMP$ ls -l
total 16
-rw-r--r-- 1 shlomi shlomi 12933 2009-08-02 20:52 Test-Count-0.0500.tar.gz
shlomi:~/TEMP$ tar -xvf Test-Count-0.0500.tar.gz
Test-Count-0.0500
Test-Count-0.0500/Changes
Test-Count-0.0500/MANIFEST
Test-Count-0.0500/META.yml
Test-Count-0.0500/Build.PL
Test-Count-0.0500/Makefile.PL
Test-Count-0.0500/README
Test-Count-0.0500/t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/boilerplate.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/03-filter.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/01-parser.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/pod-coverage.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/02-main.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/00-load.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/pod.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/sample-data
Test-Count-0.0500/t/sample-data/test-scripts
Test-Count-0.0500/t/sample-data/test-scripts/arithmetics.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/sample-data/test-scripts/01-parser.t
Test-Count-0.0500/t/sample-data/test-scripts/basic.arc
Test-Count-0.0500/examples
Test-Count-0.0500/examples/perl-test-manage-helper.pl
Test-Count-0.0500/examples/perl-test-manage.vim
Test-Count-0.0500/lib
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count.pm
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count/Base.pm
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count/Parser.pm
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count/Filter.pm
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count/Filter
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count/Filter/ByFileType
Test-Count-0.0500/lib/Test/Count/Filter/ByFileType/App.pm
Test-Count-0.0500/inc
Test-Count-0.0500/inc/Test
Test-Count-0.0500/inc/Test/Run
Test-Count-0.0500/inc/Test/Run/Builder.pm
shlomi:~/TEMP$ cd Test
Test-Count-0.0500/        Test-Count-0.0500.tar.gz
shlomi:~/TEMP$ cd Test-Count-0.0500
shlomi:~/TEMP/Test-Count-0.0500$ ls
Build.PL  examples  lib          MANIFEST  README
Changes   inc       Makefile.PL  META.yml  t
shlomi:~/TEMP/Test-Count-0.0500$ perl Build.PL
Checking whether your kit is complete...
Looks good

Checking prerequisites...
Looks good

Creating new 'Build' script for 'Test-Count' version '0.0500'
shlomi:~/TEMP/Test-Count-0.0500$ ./Build
Copying lib/Test/Count/Filter/ByFileType/App.pm -> blib/lib/Test/Count/Filter/ByFileType/App.pm
Copying lib/Test/Count/Base.pm -> blib/lib/Test/Count/Base.pm
Copying lib/Test/Count/Filter.pm -> blib/lib/Test/Count/Filter.pm
Copying lib/Test/Count/Parser.pm -> blib/lib/Test/Count/Parser.pm
Copying lib/Test/Count.pm -> blib/lib/Test/Count.pm
Manifying blib/lib/Test/Count/Parser.pm -> blib/libdoc/Test::Count::Parser.3pm
Manifying blib/lib/Test/Count/Base.pm -> blib/libdoc/Test::Count::Base.3pm
Manifying blib/lib/Test/Count.pm -> blib/libdoc/Test::Count.3pm
Manifying blib/lib/Test/Count/Filter/ByFileType/App.pm -> blib/libdoc/Test::Count::Filter::ByFileType::App.3pm
Manifying blib/lib/Test/Count/Filter.pm -> blib/libdoc/Test::Count::Filter.3pm
shlomi:~/TEMP/Test-Count-0.0500$ ./Build test
t/00-load.t ....... 1/3 # Testing Test::Count 0.0500, Perl 5.010000, /usr/bin/perl5.10.0
t/00-load.t ....... ok
t/01-parser.t ..... ok
t/02-main.t ....... ok
t/03-filter.t ..... ok
t/boilerplate.t ... ok
t/pod-coverage.t .. ok
t/pod.t ........... ok
All tests successful.
Files=7, Tests=30,  4 wallclock secs ( 0.12 usr  0.03 sys +  2.59 cusr  0.19 csys =  2.93 CPU)
Result: PASS
shlomi:~/TEMP/Test-Count-0.0500$