Xmake Tests

Xmake Tests

Xmake has built-in test support via add_tests on a target. xmake test builds and runs all declared test cases.

Basic test on an executable

target("app_test")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("tests/*.cpp", "src/lib/*.cpp")
    add_tests("default")                                     -- run the binary with no args
    add_tests("with_arg", {runargs = {"--quick"}})
    add_tests("expect_zero", {trim_output = true, pass_outputs = "OK"})
    add_tests("fail_case",  {fail_outputs = {"ERROR", "FATAL"}})

Running:

xmake test                         # run all tests
xmake test app_test/default        # run one case
xmake test -v                      # show output
xmake test -jN                     # parallel

Options per case:

• runargs — arguments to pass
• rundir — working directory
• runenvs — environment variables (table)
• trim_output — trim stdout before comparison
• pass_outputs / fail_outputs — substring or list of substrings that decide pass/fail
• group — tag tests into groups, e.g. group = "unit" → xmake test -g unit

Using a test framework

doctest / catch2 (header-only)

add_requires("doctest")

target("unit")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("tests/*.cpp")
    add_packages("doctest")
    add_tests("default")

gtest

add_requires("gtest", {configs = {main = true}})

target("unit")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("tests/*.cpp", "src/lib/*.cpp")
    add_packages("gtest")
    add_tests("default")

Auto-discovered test targets

A common convention: one test target per file, auto-generated.

for _, file in ipairs(os.files("tests/test_*.cpp")) do
    local name = path.basename(file)
    target(name)
        set_kind("binary")
        set_default(false)                 -- don't build with `xmake`
        add_files(file, "src/lib/*.cpp")
        add_tests("default")
end

set_default(false) keeps test binaries out of the default build; xmake test still picks them up.

CI usage

xmake f -m release --yes
xmake build
xmake test -v

--yes auto-accepts package prompts.

When to branch out

• Adding the test framework as a package → xmake-packages
• Running tests under a cross-toolchain emulator → xmake-toolchains