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<title>Introduction</title>
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<td valign="middle" align="left"> > <a href="../utf.html">The Unit Test Framework</a> > <b>Introduction</b>
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<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title">
<a name="utf.intro"></a>Introduction</h2></div></div></div>
<div class="epigraph">
<p>
The acceptance test makes the customer satisfied that the software provides the business value that makes them
willing to pay for it. The unit test makes the programmer satisfied that the software does what the programmer
thinks it does
</p>
<div class="attribution"><span>--<span class="attribution">XP maxim</span></span></div>
</div>
<p class="first-line-indented">
What is the first thing you need to do when you start working on new library/class/program? That's right -
you need to start with the unit test module (I hope you all gave this answer!). Occasional, simple test may be
implemented using asserts. But any professional developer soon finds this approach lacking. It becomes clear that
it's too time-consuming and tedious for simple, but repetitive unit testing tasks and it's too inflexible for
most nontrivial ones.
</p>
<p class="first-line-indented">
<em class="firstterm"><a name="utf.def"></a>The Boost Test Library Unit Test Framework</em> (further in the documentation
referred by the acronym <acronym class="acronym"><a name="utf.def.ref"></a>UTF</acronym>) provides both an easy to use and flexible solution
to this problem domain: C++ unit test implementation and organization.
</p>
<p class="first-line-indented">
Unit testing tasks arise during many different stages of software development: from initial project implementation
to its maintenance and later revisions. These tasks differ in their complexity and purpose and accordingly are
approached differently by different developers. The wide spectrum of tasks in a problem domain cause many
requirements (sometimes conflicting) to be placed on a unit testing framework. These include:
</p>
<div xmlns:rev="http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~gregod/boost/tools/doc/revision" class="itemizedlist"><ul type="square">
<li style="list-style-type: square">
Writing a unit test module should be simple and obvious for new users.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
The framework should allow advanced users to perform nontrivial tests.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
Test module should be able to have many small test cases and developer should be able to group them into test
suites.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
At the beginning of the development users want to see verbose and descriptive error message, whereas during the
regression testing they just want to know if any tests failed.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
For a small test modules run time should prevail over compilation time: user don't want to wait a minute to
compile a test that takes a second to run.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
For long and complex tests users want to be able to see the test progress.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
Simplest tests shouldn't require an external library.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
For long term usage users of a unit test framework should be able to build it as a standalone library.
</li>
</ul></div>
<p class="first-line-indented">
The <acronym class="acronym">UTF</acronym> design is based on above rationale and provides versatile facilities to:
</p>
<div xmlns:rev="http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~gregod/boost/tools/doc/revision" class="itemizedlist"><ul type="square">
<li style="list-style-type: square">
Simplify writing test cases by using various <a class="link" href="testing-tools/reference.html" title="The UTF testing tools reference">testing tools</a>.
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
<a class="link" href="user-guide/test-organization.html" title="Test organization or the house that Jack built">Organize test cases</a> into a test tree.</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square">
Relieve you from messy error detection, reporting duties and framework runtime parameters processing.
</li>
</ul></div>
<p class="first-line-indented">
The <acronym class="acronym">UTF</acronym> keeps track of all passed/failed testing tools <a class="link" href="user-guide.html#test-assertion.def">assertions</a>,
provides an ability to check the <a class="link" href="user-guide/test-output/test-progress.html" title="Test progress display">test progress</a>
and generates a <a class="link" href="user-guide/test-output/results-report.html" title="Test report output">result report</a> in several different
formats. The <acronym class="acronym">UTF</acronym> supplies command line test runners that initialize the framework and run the requested tests.
Depending on the selected <a class="link" href="compilation.html#utf.compilation.flags" title="Table3.The UTF compilation flags">compilation flags</a> the function main()
default implementation, that invoke the supplied test runner, can be generated automatically as well.
</p>
<p class="first-line-indented">
The <acronym class="acronym">UTF</acronym> is intended to be used both for a simple and non trivial testing. It is not intended to be used with
production code. In this case the <a href="../under_construction.html" target="_top">Program Execution Monitor</a> is more
suitable.
</p>
<p class="first-line-indented">
Given the largely differing requirements of new and advanced users, it is clear that the <acronym class="acronym">UTF</acronym> must provide both
simple, easy-to-use interfaces with limited customization options and advanced interfaces, which allow unit testing
to be fully customized. Accordingly the material provided in this documentation is split into two sections:
</p>
<div xmlns:rev="http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~gregod/boost/tools/doc/revision" class="itemizedlist"><ul type="upper-roman">
<li style="list-style-type: upper-roman">
<a class="link" href="user-guide.html" title="Unit Test Framework: User's guide">The User's Guide</a>: covers all functionality that doesn't require
knowledge of the <acronym class="acronym">UTF</acronym> internals
</li>
<li style="list-style-type: upper-roman">
<a href="../under_construction.html" target="_top">The Advanced User's Guide</a>: covers all implementation details
required for a user to understand the advanced customization options available in the <acronym class="acronym">UTF</acronym>, and for a user
interested in extending the testing framework.
</li>
</ul></div>
<p class="first-line-indented">
For those interested in getting started quickly please visit <a href="../example-toc.html" target="_top">collection of
examples</a> presented in this documentation.
</p>
</div>
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<td align="right"><div class="copyright-footer">Copyright 2001-2007 Gennadiy Rozental</div></td>
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