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Covering various test scenarios is crucial for robust software development. In Go, testing functions that call os.Exit presents a unique challenge. How can we test exit scenarios without interfering with the entire test suite?
Consider the following function, doomed:
func doomed() { os.Exit(1) }
To effectively test that invoking this function triggers an exit, you'll need to employ a strategy that confines the os.Exit call within the test and prevents it from affecting other tests.
Andrew Gerrand, a core member of the Go team, provides an ingenious approach to this problem in his presentation. Let's implement this solution:
main.go (Program with function to be tested)
package main import ( "fmt" "os" ) func Crasher() { fmt.Println("Going down in flames!") os.Exit(1) }
main_test.go (Test for Crasher function)
package main import ( "os" "os/exec" "testing" ) func TestCrasher(t *testing.T) { // Check if "BE_CRASHER" environment variable is set. if os.Getenv("BE_CRASHER") == "1" { Crasher() return } // Invoke the test again with "BE_CRASHER=1" to trigger the Crasher call. cmd := exec.Command(os.Args[0], "-test.run=TestCrasher") cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "BE_CRASHER=1") err := cmd.Run() // Validate exit code. if e, ok := err.(*exec.ExitError); ok && !e.Success() { return } t.Fatalf("process ran with err %v, want exit status 1", err) }
Execution:
This solution works by:
Using this approach, you can confidently test exit scenarios in Go without disrupting the rest of your test suite.
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