CGull is a minimal tool for testing embedded C code on a PC using Python and the excellent Unity test framework.
Clone this repository and run pip install . from the check-out directory.
CGull requires that you have Python and GCC installed and available in your path. It should run on Linux, Windows, and Mac.
If you are trying to compile with the -m32 flag on Linux and receive fatal error: sys/cdefs.h: No such file or directory, you may need to install libc6-dev-i386.
Create a new directory to hold your CGull tests. Your CGull tests will be separate from your embedded project. In this directory, create the following structure:
project_test_directory/
├ helpers/ - Stub and mock source files
├ tests/ - Unity compatible test source files
└ config.toml - Control test build and run configuration
A simple configuration file contains:
target_inc = "../path/to/embedded/project/inc"
target_src = "../path/to/embedded/project/src"
gcc_flags = ["-m32"]
[test.module_abc]
depends = ["abc.c"]
helpers = ["stub_something_abc_includes.c"]
[test.module_xyz]
depends = ["xyz.c", "related.c"]
helpers = ["stub_something_xyz_includes.c"]
The target_inc and target_src options tell CGull where to look for the embedded code you are testing. You can pass gcc_flags to help make the local builds more similar to your embedded platform, but remember that these tests will not exercise processor-specific quirks.
For each module you want to test, create a section in the configuration file. CGull will automatically look for the test file based on the section name. For example, [test.module_abc] will look for test_module_abc.c in the project_test_directory/tests/ folder. There is a 1-to-1 relationship between test files and configuration file sections.
The list of depends files are compiled from the target_src directory. This list is almost always going to start with the module you want to test. It may also include other target modules that are so tightly coupled you need to test them together.
The helpers list compiles in additional code from the helpers folder. This is typically how you would stub/mock modules that your module-under-test interacts with.
From the root of your tests directory, run cgull to compile and execute all tests from the configuration file.
To run only one test module, pass the --module/-m command line option with the name of the test to run:
cgull --module test_module_abc
CGull is a thin wrapper around gcc, so test files are just C code that use the Unity testing framework. An example test file simply includes Unity and the code to be tested:
#include <stdint.h>
#include "unity.h"
#include "module_under_test.c"
void test_scaling() {
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_UINT32(5, module_under_test_scale(0));
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_UINT32(10, module_under_test_scale(1));
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_UINT32(15, module_under_test_scale(2));
}
void test_append_done() {
char expected[16] = "okdone";
char tmp[16] = "ok";
module_under_test_append_done(&tmp);
TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_STRING(expected, tmp);
}
int main() {
UNITY_BEGIN();
RUN_TEST(test_scaling);
RUN_TEST(test_append_done);
UNITY_END();
return 0;
}