This is old documentation. Current Horde 5+ applications and libraries use PHPUnit wrapped in Horde_Test. =================== Writing PHP Tests =================== .phpt stands for "php test" and is a specialized file format that consists of 4 standard sections, and two optional sections (marked by *). They are as follows: 1. TEST - the name of the test file (informational) 2. SKIPIF - PHP code that determines whether this test should be run, and echoes "skip reason", more at (a) 3. ARGS - pass in command-line arguments to php pear run-tests does not yet implement GET, POST, or INI 4. FILE - the actual test file, this is standard PHP 5. EXPECT/EXPECTF/EXPECTREGEX - plain test, the expected output of the file. EXPECTF and EXPECTREGEX are used to allow looser validation. a simple test is: :: --TEST-- simple test --SKIPIF-- --FILE-- --EXPECT-- tests done If you run this command on windows :: C:\> pear run-tests simpletest.phpt SKIP (reason: cannot run on windows) if you run it on any other OS :: ~ pear run-tests simpletest.phpt PASS simple test [simpletest.phpt] (warn: you might have left the iron plugged in) This test fails: :: --TEST-- fail test --SKIPIF-- --FILE-- --EXPECT-- tests done :: C:\> pear run-tests failtest.phpt FAIL fail test [failtest.phpt] and creates 3 files: :: failtest.php: failtest.exp: tests done failtest.out: wrong failtest.diff: 001- tests done 001+ wrong Most tests rely upon var_dump(), echo, and other display methods to validate the test like so: :: --TEST-- old way --SKIPIF-- --FILE-- --EXPECT-- array(2) { [0]=> int(3) [1]=> string(2) "hi" } The method I have been using for testing PEAR is more familiar to users of phpunit. :: --TEST-- new way --SKIPIF-- --FILE-- assertEquals(array(2, 'hi'), $a, 'first array'); echo 'tests done'; ?> --EXPECT-- tests done When a test succeeds, there is no output, but in this test: :: --TEST-- new way --SKIPIF-- --FILE-- assertEquals(array(2, 'hi'), $a, 'first array'); echo 'tests done'; ?> --EXPECT-- tests done if you have Text_Diff installed, the .out file would contain: :: Test Failure: "first array" in C:\devel\newtest.php line 4 Diff of expecting/received: @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ array ( - 0 => 2, + 0 => 3, 1 => 'hi', ) otherwise, it would contain: :: Test Failure: "first array" in C:\devel\newtest.php line 4 Expecting: array ( 0 => 2, 1 => 'hi', ) Received: array ( 0 => 3, 1 => 'hi', ) This makes it really easy to both debug and create new tests/modify old ones. If array(3, 'hi') is correct, all you have to do is cut and paste the output into your test. An extreme example of where I have done this is in pear-core/tests/PEAR_DependencyDB/test_rebuildDB.phpt An example of how this flexibility is better than a simple EXPECTF is in pear-core/tests/PEAR_Downloader_Package/test_initialize_abstractpackage.phpt in this section: :: $phpunit->assertEquals(array ( 0 => array ( 0 => 3, 1 => '+ tmp dir created at ' . $dp->_downloader->getDownloadDir(), ), ), $fakelog->getLog(), 'log messages'); here, I wanted to make sure that not only was this + tmp dir message logged, but that the directory created was in fact the one from our instance of PEAR_Downloader.