How to set up rackunit tests to test the REPL?

[Kuang-Chen Lu]

Hi,

What are the recommended ways to create unit tests that test both run and REPL (#%top-interaction)?

Background: I created a custom language and have some unit tests. My updated language passed all unit tests. After delivery, a client ran into a bug that only happens in REPL. I could have found the bug if the REPL was also tested.

Thanks,

KC

[Ryan Culpepper]

This is one of the few (IMO) legitimate uses of `eval`.

Your test suite should create a namespace, set it up by requiring your language's module, and then eval interactions expressed as quoted S-expressions or syntax objects. Here's a basic example for testing `match`:

    #lang racket/base
    (require syntax/strip-context rackunit)

    (define test-ns (make-base-empty-namespace))
    (parameterize ((current-namespace test-ns))
      (namespace-require 'racket/base)
      (namespace-require 'racket/match))

    ;; test-eval : (U Syntax S-expr) -> Any
    (define (test-eval expr)
      (parameterize ((current-namespace test-ns))
        (eval `(#%top-interaction
                . ,(cond [(syntax? expr)
                          (namespace-syntax-introduce
                           (strip-context expr))]
                         [else expr])))))

    (check-equal? (test-eval
                   '(match (list 1 2 3)
                      [(cons x ys) x]
                      [_ #f]))
                  1)

    (void (test-eval '(define null? zero?))) ;; !!!

    (check-equal? (test-eval
                   #'(match 0
                       [(? null?) 'ok]
                       [_ 'no]))
                  'ok)

The call to `strip-syntax` is necessary in the second test to make `null?` refer to the redefinition in the testing namespace instead of the normal binding visible to the testing module.

Ryan

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