Getting started

Adding tests

Adding tests is done using the Test macro:

#include <criterion/criterion.h>

Test(suite_name, test_name) {
    // test contents
}

suite_name and test_name are the identifiers of the test suite and the test, respectively. These identifiers must follow the language identifier format.

Tests are automatically sorted by suite, then by name using the alphabetical order.

Asserting things

Assertions come in two kinds:

  • cr_assert* are assertions that are fatal to the current test if failed; in other words, if the condition evaluates to false, the test is marked as a failure and the execution of the function is aborted.
  • cr_expect* are, in the other hand, assertions that are not fatal to the test. Execution will continue even if the condition evaluates to false, but the test will be marked as a failure.

cr_assert() and cr_expect() are the most simple kinds of assertions criterion has to offer. They both take a mandatory condition as a first parameter, and an optional failure message:

#include <string.h>
#include <criterion/criterion.h>

Test(sample, test) {
    cr_expect(strlen("Test") == 4, "Expected \"Test\" to have a length of 4.");
    cr_expect(strlen("Hello") == 4, "This will always fail, why did I add this?");
    cr_assert(strlen("") == 0);
}

On top of those, more assertions are available for common operations. See Assertion reference for a complete list.

Configuring tests

Tests may receive optional configuration parameters to alter their behaviour or provide additional metadata.

Fixtures

Tests that need some setup and teardown can register functions that will run before and after the test function:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <criterion/criterion.h>

void setup(void) {
    puts("Runs before the test");
}

void teardown(void) {
    puts("Runs after the test");
}

Test(suite_name, test_name, .init = setup, .fini = teardown) {
    // test contents
}

If a setup crashes, you will get a warning message, and the test will be aborted and marked as a failure. Is a teardown crashes, you will get a warning message, and the test will keep its result.

Testing signals

If a test receives a signal, it will by default be marked as a failure. You can, however, expect a test to only pass if a special kind of signal is received:

#include <stddef.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <criterion/criterion.h>

// This test will fail
Test(sample, failing) {
    int *ptr = NULL;
    *ptr = 42;
}

// This test will pass
Test(sample, passing, .signal = SIGSEGV) {
    int *ptr = NULL;
    *ptr = 42;
}

This feature will also work (to some extent) on Windows for the following signals on some exceptions:

Signal Triggered by
SIGSEGV STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION, STATUS_DATATYPE_MISALIGNMENT, STATUS_ARRAY_BOUNDS_EXCEEDED, STATUS_GUARD_PAGE_VIOLATION, STATUS_IN_PAGE_ERROR, STATUS_NO_MEMORY, STATUS_INVALID_DISPOSITION, STATUS_STACK_OVERFLOW
SIGILL STATUS_ILLEGAL_INSTRUCTION, STATUS_PRIVILEGED_INSTRUCTION, STATUS_NONCONTINUABLE_EXCEPTION
SIGINT STATUS_CONTROL_C_EXIT
SIGFPE STATUS_FLOAT_DENORMAL_OPERAND, STATUS_FLOAT_DIVIDE_BY_ZERO, STATUS_FLOAT_INEXACT_RESULT, STATUS_FLOAT_INVALID_OPERATION, STATUS_FLOAT_OVERFLOW, STATUS_FLOAT_STACK_CHECK, STATUS_FLOAT_UNDERFLOW, STATUS_INTEGER_DIVIDE_BY_ZERO, STATUS_INTEGER_OVERFLOW
SIGALRM STATUS_TIMEOUT

See the windows exception reference for more details on each exception.

Configuration reference

Here is an exhaustive list of all possible configuration parameters you can pass:

Parameter Type Description
.description const char * Adds a description. Cannot be NULL.
.init void (*)(void) Adds a setup function the be executed before the test.
.fini void (*)(void) Adds a teardown function the be executed after the test.
.disabled bool Disables the test.
.signal int Expect the test to raise the specified signal.
.exit_code int Expect the test to exit with the specified status.

Setting up suite-wise configuration

Tests under the same suite can have a suite-wise configuration – this is done using the TestSuite macro:

#include <criterion/criterion.h>

TestSuite(suite_name, [params...]);

Test(suite_name, test_1) {
}

Test(suite_name, test_2) {
}

Configuration parameters are the same as above, but applied to the suite itself.

Suite fixtures are run along with test fixtures.