RE: [Problem] test_must_fail makes possibly questionable assumptions about exit_code.

On February 28, 2018 12:44 PM, Jonathan Nieder wrote:

Randall S. Becker wrote:

quoted

The problem is actually in git code in its test suite that uses perl
inline, not in my test code itself. The difficulty I'm having is
placing this appropriate so that the signal handler gets used
throughout the test suite including in the perl -e invocations. This
is more a lack of my own understanding of plumbing of git test
framework rather than of using or coding perl.

Can you elaborate with an example?  My understanding was that
test_must_fail is only for running git.  If a test is running perl and

wants to

check its exit code, the test is supposed to use !, not test_must_fail.

t/README backs me up:

 - use '! git cmd' when you want to make sure the git command exits
   with failure in a controlled way by calling "die()".  Instead,
   use 'test_must_fail git cmd'.  This will signal a failure if git
   dies in an unexpected way (e.g. segfault).

   On the other hand, don't use test_must_fail for running regular
   platform commands; just use '! cmd'.  We are not in the business
   of verifying that the world given to us sanely works.

So I don't consider the initial issue you raised a test issue at all!
It's a bug in the git commands, and a fix for it should not be specific to

the

test suite.

And now it sounds like there is a second issue: the test suite is

overusing

test_must_fail in some context and that needs to be fixed as well.

Have a look at a recent t1404 as a sample. Line 615 is the one causing the
platform grief, because it triggers a 'die'. However, the particular test
case #54, had no difference on platform with test_must_fail or !, which has
the same underlying EBADF completion after digging and digging.

not ok 52 - delete fails cleanly if packed-refs file is locked
#
#               prefix=refs/locked-packed-refs &&
#               # Set up a reference with differing loose and packed
versions:
#               git update-ref $prefix/foo $C &&
#               git pack-refs --all &&
#               git update-ref $prefix/foo $D &&
#               git for-each-ref $prefix >unchanged &&
#               # Now try to delete it while the `packed-refs` lock is held:
#               : >.git/packed-refs.lock &&
#               test_when_finished "rm -f .git/packed-refs.lock" &&
#               ! git update-ref -d $prefix/foo >out 2>err &&
#               git for-each-ref $prefix >actual &&
#               test_i18ngrep "Unable to create $Q.*packed-refs.lock$Q: File
exists" err &&
#               test_cmp unchanged actual
#