Setting TODO by test number

[Elizabeth Mattijsen]

I'm using Test::xxx as a tool for testing the functioning of a rather 
large C program (currently at 112K+ tests).  Many of the tests 
consist of running combinations of parameters in many nested loops. 
Sometimes some of these tests fail.  For example, out of a 
test-script that has about 8000 tests, only 20 will fail along the 
way.

I would like these tests to be marked as "TODO".  But that's 
virtually impossible with the current way you specify TODO tests, as 
the failures only happen with a specific combination of parameters, 
usually at least 3 levels deep in loops.

Now, the test output tells me the test number it failed.  What the 
exact combination of parameters is, is less important to me in many 
cases.  The fact that the test (unexpectedly) fails is more important 
to me.

Now I only have the option of skipping the entire set of nested 
loops, as I don't want it to produce any test failures on expected 
errors.  What I would like to do is just somehow give it a list of 
test numbers to be marked as "TODO".  And almost everything is there 
already: setting $TODO to a non-empty string is the only thing needed 
to make all subsequent tests marked as "todo".  I just lack the 
method to set $TODO at the right moment (or I have missed it somehow).

So, what I'd like to add for myself is something like:

todo_ok( test,{
 1001 => "a b c still fails, wonder why",
 2345 => "d e gf to be investigated",
},"ok text" );
The conundrum I'm facing with this is that the "current_test" method 
of Test::Builder is not available from Test::More.  And the 
Test::Builder object being used in a Test::More run is also not 
available in Test::More.  And I don't want to make another Test::More.

So I see basically three solutions to this problem:

1. patch Test::More so that the Test::Builder object can be obtained 
from a test.

Something like adding "sub Test { $Test }" to Test::More

2. patch Test::More to export current_test

Something like adding "sub current_test { $Test->current_test }" to Test::More

3. patch Test::More to export "todo_ok"

From within Test::More it should be trivial to create "todo_ok", but 
does this itch of mine warrant includion in Test::More?  And why 
wouldn't then "todo_is", "todo_cmp_ok" also be made?

I think I prefer 1 as it will allow you to possibly do other things 
in the future apart from accessing "current_test".  The solution is 
more generic and only accessible to those people who actually takie a 
look at the pod / source of Test::Builder.  Solution 2 would on one 
hand be too specific and on the other hand not specific enough. 
Option 3 introduces bloat (is that a problem?).

If there is another way I could do this, I'm open to that as well... 
And I wonder where I should post patches to Test::More...  ;-)

Liz