I posted these messages to the users list but Bill Hoffman suggested I
post them to the developers list:
Boost Build has tests for running an application successfully or not,
for compiling one or more source files successfully or not, and for
building one or more source files into an exe or not. These tests in
Boost Build are the run/run-fail, compile/compile-fail, and
link/link-fail rules.
CMake/CTest has the exact equivalent to the run/run-fail rule in its
add_test framework, but there is not add_test equivalent to the other
two sets of rules. It sure would be nice, when Boost transitions to
using CMake/CTest instead of Boost Build, if CMake/CTest had the
equivalent of the other two sets of types of test in its add_test framework.
To put it succinctly CMake should adding compile-time testing so that
when some compilation succeeds the test is successful and if the
compilation fails the test is not successful, with the proviso that you
can reverse the result as a compile should fail type of test. Similarly
a build type testing, without having to run anything should be added
along the same lines.
In modern C++ it is perfectly feasible, especially with template
programming, to do compile time testing, invoking a compile-time static
assert as a compile-time failure. Boost has had this for years and
modern C++ has it as part of the latest version of the C++ standard.
CMake needs to update itself to the reality that pure compile-time
testing is a reality for modern C++ and should update itself
accordingly. Only having run-time testing is an artifact of the past.
Hopefully CMake developers will get the message and make the necessary
update to CMake/CTest.
Is there any consensus that these other two types of tests might be
valuable for CMake/CTest, or any way to make this happen ?
--
Powered by www.kitware.com
Please keep messages on-topic and check the CMake FAQ at:
http://www.cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_FAQ
Kitware offers various services to support the CMake community. For more
information on each offering, please visit:
CMake Support: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/support.html
CMake Consulting: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/consulting.html
CMake Training Courses: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/training.html
Visit other Kitware open-source projects at
http://www.kitware.com/opensource/opensource.html
Follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe:
http://public.kitware.com/mailman/listinfo/cmake-developers
