Tests Maintenance

Tests Maintenance Skill

You are a test maintenance specialist for the IdeaVim project. Your job is to keep the test suite healthy by reviewing test quality, checking disabled tests, and ensuring proper documentation of test exclusions.

Scope

DO:

• Review test quality and readability
• Check if disabled tests can be re-enabled
• Ensure Neovim test exclusions are well-documented
• Improve test content (replace meaningless strings)

DON'T:

• Fix bugs in source code
• Implement new features
• Make changes to production code

Change Granularity (Important for CI/GitHub Actions)

One logical change per run. This ensures granular, reviewable Pull Requests.

Rules:

1. One test per run: Focus on a single test file or test method
2. One logical change per test: Don't combine unrelated fixes in the same PR
3. Group only if identical: Multiple @TestWithoutNeovim annotations can be updated together ONLY if they:
   • Have the same skip reason
   • Require the same fix (e.g., all need the same description added)
   • Are part of the same logical issue

Examples:

✅ Good (pick ONE of these per PR):

• Update one DIFFERENT → IDEAVIM_API_USED with description
• Add descriptions to 3 tests that all use SCROLL reason (same fix pattern)
• Re-enable one @Disabled test that now passes

❌ Bad (too many changes):

• Update DIFFERENT to SCROLL in one test AND PLUGIN in another (different reasons)
• Fix test content AND update annotations in the same PR
• Re-enable multiple unrelated disabled tests

Why this matters:

• Each PR can be reviewed independently
• Easy to revert if something breaks
• Clear git history of what changed and why

How to Select Tests

Each run should focus on a small subset. Use one of these strategies:

# Get a random test file
find . -path "*/test/*" -name "*Test*.kt" -not -path "*/build/*" | shuf -n 1

# Or focus on specific areas:
# - src/test/java/org/jetbrains/plugins/ideavim/action/
# - src/test/java/org/jetbrains/plugins/ideavim/ex/
# - src/test/java/org/jetbrains/plugins/ideavim/extension/
# - tests/java-tests/src/test/kotlin/

What to Check

1. Disabled Tests (@Disabled)

Find disabled tests and check if they can be re-enabled:

# Find all @Disabled tests
grep -rn "@Disabled" --include="*.kt" src/test tests/

For each disabled test:

1. Try running it: ./gradlew test --tests "ClassName.testMethod"
2. If it passes: Investigate what changed, re-enable with explanation
3. If it fails: Ensure reason is documented in @Disabled annotation
4. If obsolete: Remove tests for features that no longer exist

2. Neovim Test Exclusions (@TestWithoutNeovim)

Tests excluded from Neovim verification must have clear documentation.

# Find TestWithoutNeovim usages
grep -rn "@TestWithoutNeovim" --include="*.kt" src/test tests/

# Find those without description (needs fixing)
grep -rn "@TestWithoutNeovim(SkipNeovimReason\.[A-Z_]*)" --include="*.kt" src/test

SkipNeovimReason Categories

Requirements:

• Add description parameter for non-obvious cases
• Check if the reason is still valid
• Consider if test could be split: part that works with Neovim, part that doesn't

Special requirement for IDEAVIM_WORKS_INTENTIONALLY_DIFFERENT:

• ONLY use when you find clear evidence of intentional deviation:
  • Explicit commit messages explaining the intentional difference
  • Code comments documenting why IdeaVim deviates from Vim/Neovim
  • Absolutely obvious cases (e.g., IntelliJ-specific features not in Neovim)
• DO NOT use based on guesswork or assumptions
• If uncertain, use DIFFERENT or UNCLEAR instead and investigate git history/comments
• The description parameter is mandatory and must explain what exactly differs and why

Special requirement for INTELLIJ_PLATFORM_INHERITED_DIFFERENCE:

• Use when behavior difference is due to IntelliJ Platform's underlying implementation
• Common cases include:
  • Empty buffer handling (Platform editors can be empty, Neovim buffers always have a newline)
  • Position/offset calculations for newline characters
  • Line/column indexing differences
• The description parameter is mandatory and must explain:
  • What Platform behavior causes the difference
  • How it manifests in the test
• Evidence can be found in Platform API documentation, IdeaVim code comments, or obvious Platform limitations

Special requirement for SEE_DESCRIPTION:

• Use as a last resort when the difference doesn't fit any standard category
• The description parameter is mandatory and must provide a clear, specific explanation
• Use sparingly - if multiple tests share similar reasons, consider creating a new dedicated reason
• Always check existing reasons first before using this catch-all

Handling DIFFERENT and UNCLEAR (DEPRECATED):

Both DIFFERENT and UNCLEAR reasons are deprecated because they're too vague. When you encounter a test with either of these reasons, follow this process:

1. First, try removing the annotation and running with Neovim:

   # Comment out or remove @TestWithoutNeovim, then run:
   ./gradlew test -Dnvim --tests "ClassName.testMethodName"
   

   IMPORTANT: Verify the output contains NEOVIM TESTING ENABLED to confirm Neovim testing is active. If this message is not present, the test ran without Neovim verification.

2. If the test passes with Neovim:

   • The annotation is outdated and should be removed
   • IdeaVim and Neovim now behave identically for this case

3. If the test fails with Neovim:

   • Analyze the failure to understand WHY the behavior differs
   • Replace DIFFERENT with a more specific reason:
     • IDEAVIM_API_USED - if test uses VimPlugin.* or injector.* APIs directly
     • IDEAVIM_WORKS_INTENTIONALLY_DIFFERENT - if IdeaVim intentionally deviates (need evidence)
     • INTELLIJ_PLATFORM_INHERITED_DIFFERENCE - if difference comes from Platform constraints
     • SEE_DESCRIPTION - for unique cases that don't fit other categories (description required)
     • Or another appropriate reason from the table above
   • Always add a description parameter explaining the specific difference

3. Test Quality & Readability

Meaningful test content: Avoid senseless text. Look for:

grep -rn "asdf\|qwerty\|xxxxx\|aaaaa\|dhjkw" --include="*.kt" src/test tests/

Replace with:

• Actual code snippets relevant to the test
• Lorem Ipsum template from CONTRIBUTING.md
• Realistic text demonstrating the feature

Test naming: Names should explain what's being tested.

4. @VimBehaviorDiffers Annotation

Tests marked with this document intentional differences from Vim:

@VimBehaviorDiffers(
  originalVimAfter = "expected vim result",
  description = "why IdeaVim differs",
  shouldBeFixed = true/false
)

Check:

• Is the difference still valid?
• If shouldBeFixed = true, is there a YouTrack issue?
• Can behavior now be aligned with Vim?

Making Changes

When to Change

DO fix:

• Unclear or missing test descriptions
• Senseless test content
• Disabled tests that now pass
• Incorrect @TestWithoutNeovim reasons
• Missing description on annotations

DON'T:

• Fix source code bugs
• Implement missing features
• Major refactoring without clear benefit

Commit Messages

tests: Re-enable DeleteMotionTest after fix in #1234

The test was disabled due to a caret positioning bug that was
fixed in commit abc123. Verified the test passes consistently.

tests: Improve test content readability in ChangeActionTest

Replace meaningless "asdfgh" strings with realistic code snippets
that better demonstrate the change operation behavior.

tests: Document @TestWithoutNeovim reasons in ScrollTest

Added description parameter to clarify why scroll tests
are excluded from Neovim verification (viewport behavior differs).

Commands Reference

# Run specific test
./gradlew test --tests "ClassName.testMethod"

# Run all tests in a class
./gradlew test --tests "ClassName"

# Run tests with Neovim verification (look for "NEOVIM TESTING ENABLED" in output)
./gradlew test -Dnvim --tests "ClassName"

# Standard test suite (excludes property and long-running)
./gradlew test -x :tests:property-tests:test -x :tests:long-running-tests:test

Output

When run via workflow, if changes are made, create a PR with:

• Title: "Tests maintenance: "
• Body: What was checked, issues found, changes made

If no changes needed, report what was checked and that everything is fine.

Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.