ExUnit Test Framework
Execute and generate ExUnit tests for Elixir projects with setup callbacks, describe blocks, and async testing support
What this skill does
# ExUnit Test Framework
## Purpose
Provide ExUnit test execution and generation for Elixir projects, supporting:
- Test file generation from templates (_test.exs files)
- Test execution with Mix test integration
- Setup and setup_all callbacks
- Describe blocks for test organization
- Async testing support
## Usage
### Generate Test File
Create a test file from a bug report or feature description:
```bash
elixir generate-test.exs \
--source lib/calculator.ex \
--output test/calculator_test.exs \
--module Calculator \
--description "Division by zero error"
```
### Execute Tests
Run ExUnit tests and return structured results:
```bash
elixir run-test.exs \
--file test/calculator_test.exs \
--format json
```
## Command Line Options
### generate-test.exs
- `--source <path>` - Source file to test (required)
- `--output <path>` - Output test file path (required)
- `--module <name>` - Module name to test (required)
- `--description <text>` - Bug description or test purpose
- `--async` - Enable async testing (default: false)
### run-test.exs
- `--file <path>` - Test file to execute (required)
- `--format <json|doc>` - Output format (default: json)
- `--trace` - Run with detailed trace
## Output Format
### Test Generation
Returns JSON with generated test file information:
```json
{
"success": true,
"testFile": "test/calculator_test.exs",
"testCount": 1,
"template": "unit-test",
"async": false
}
```
### Test Execution
Returns JSON with test results:
```json
{
"success": false,
"passed": 2,
"failed": 1,
"total": 3,
"duration": 0.234,
"failures": [
{
"test": "test divide by zero raises ArithmeticError",
"error": "Expected ArithmeticError to be raised",
"file": "test/calculator_test.exs",
"line": 15
}
]
}
```
## ExUnit Test Structure
### Basic Test
```elixir
defmodule CalculatorTest do
use ExUnit.Case
test "adds two numbers" do
assert Calculator.add(1, 2) == 3
end
end
```
### With Describe Blocks
```elixir
defmodule CalculatorTest do
use ExUnit.Case
describe "add/2" do
test "adds positive numbers" do
assert Calculator.add(1, 2) == 3
end
test "adds negative numbers" do
assert Calculator.add(-1, -2) == -3
end
end
describe "divide/2" do
test "divides numbers" do
assert Calculator.divide(6, 2) == 3
end
test "raises on division by zero" do
assert_raise ArithmeticError, fn ->
Calculator.divide(1, 0)
end
end
end
end
```
### With Setup Callbacks
```elixir
defmodule UserTest do
use ExUnit.Case
setup do
user = %User{name: "John", email: "[email protected]"}
{:ok, user: user}
end
test "user has name", %{user: user} do
assert user.name == "John"
end
test "user has email", %{user: user} do
assert user.email == "[email protected]"
end
end
```
### Async Testing
```elixir
defmodule FastTest do
use ExUnit.Case, async: true
test "runs in parallel with other async tests" do
assert 1 + 1 == 2
end
end
```
## Common Assertions
- `assert expr` - Ensures expression is truthy
- `refute expr` - Ensures expression is falsy
- `assert_raise Exception, fn -> ... end` - Expects exception
- `assert_received message` - Asserts message was received
- `assert x == y` - Equality assertion (preferred over pattern matching)
## Integration with deep-debugger
The deep-debugger agent uses this skill for Elixir projects:
1. **Test Recreation**: Generate failing test from bug report
2. **Test Validation**: Execute test to verify it fails consistently
3. **Fix Verification**: Re-run test after fix to ensure it passes
Example workflow:
```markdown
1. deep-debugger receives bug report for Elixir project
2. Invokes test-detector to identify ExUnit
3. Invokes exunit-test/generate-test.exs to create failing test
4. Invokes exunit-test/run-test.exs to validate test fails
5. Delegates fix to elixir-phoenix-expert agent
6. Invokes exunit-test/run-test.exs to verify fix
```
## Dependencies
Requires Elixir and Mix to be installed:
```bash
elixir --version # Should be 1.12 or higher
mix --version # Elixir's build tool
```
ExUnit is built into Elixir, no additional installation needed.
## File Naming Conventions
- Test files must end with `_test.exs`
- Mirror source file structure: `lib/calculator.ex` → `test/calculator_test.exs`
- Test helper: `test/test_helper.exs` (required)
## Error Handling
### Test Generation Errors
```json
{
"success": false,
"error": "Source file not found",
"file": "lib/missing.ex"
}
```
### Test Execution Errors
```json
{
"success": false,
"error": "Mix test failed",
"output": "** (CompileError) ..."
}
```
## See Also
- [ExUnit Documentation](https://hexdocs.pm/ex_unit/ExUnit.html)
- [Elixir School Testing Guide](https://elixirschool.com/en/lessons/testing/basics)
- [templates/](templates/) - Test file templates
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