_content/doc/tutorial/add-a-test.html

<!--{
    "Title": "Add a test",
    "Breadcrumb": true
}-->

<p>
  Now that you've gotten your code to a stable place (nicely done, by the way),
  add a test. Testing your code during development can expose bugs that find
  their way in as you make changes. In this topic, you add a test for the
  <code>Hello</code> function.
</p>

<aside class="Note">
  <strong>Note:</strong> This topic is part of a multi-part tutorial that begins
  with <a href="/doc/tutorial/create-module.html">Create a Go module</a>.
</aside>

<p>
  Go's built-in support for unit testing makes it easier to test as you go.
  Specifically, using naming conventions, Go's <code>testing</code> package, and
  the <code>go test</code> command, you can quickly write and execute tests.
</p>

<ol>
  <li>
    In the greetings directory, create a file called greetings_test.go.

    <p>
      Ending a file's name with _test.go tells the <code>go test</code> command
      that this file contains test functions.
    </p>
  </li>

  <li>
    In greetings_test.go, paste the following code and save the file.

    <pre>
package greetings

import (
    "testing"
    "regexp"
)

// TestHelloName calls greetings.Hello with a name, checking
// for a valid return value.
func TestHelloName(t *testing.T) {
    name := "Gladys"
    want := regexp.MustCompile(`\b`+name+`\b`)
    msg, err := Hello("Gladys")
    if !want.MatchString(msg) || err != nil {
        t.Fatalf(`Hello("Gladys") = %q, %v, want match for %#q, nil`, msg, err, want)
    }
}

// TestHelloEmpty calls greetings.Hello with an empty string,
// checking for an error.
func TestHelloEmpty(t *testing.T) {
    msg, err := Hello("")
    if msg != "" || err == nil {
        t.Fatalf(`Hello("") = %q, %v, want "", error`, msg, err)
    }
}
</pre
    >

    <p>
      In this code, you:
    </p>

    <ul>
      <li>
        Implement test functions in the same package as the code you're testing.
      </li>
      <li>
        Create two test functions to test the <code>greetings.Hello</code>
        function. Test function names have the form <code>Test<em>Name</em></code>,
        where <em>Name</em> says something about the specific test. Also, test
        functions take a pointer to the <code>testing</code> package's
        <a href="https://pkg.go.dev/testing/#T"><code>testing.T</code>
        type</a> as a parameter. You use this parameter's methods for reporting
        and logging from your test.
      </li>
      <li>
        Implement two tests:

        <ul>
          <li>
            <code>TestHelloName</code> calls the <code>Hello</code> function,
            passing a <code>name</code> value with which the function should be
            able to return a valid response message. If the call returns an
            error or an unexpected response message (one that doesn't include
            the name you passed in), you use the <code>t</code> parameter's
            <a href="https://pkg.go.dev/testing/#T.Fatalf">
            <code>Fatalf</code> method</a> to print a message to the console
            and end execution.
          </li>
          <li>
            <code>TestHelloEmpty</code> calls the <code>Hello</code> function
            with an empty string. This test is designed to confirm that your
            error handling works. If the call returns a non-empty string or no
            error, you use the <code>t</code> parameter's <code>Fatalf</code>
            method to print a message to the console and end execution.
          </li>
        </ul>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>

  <li>
    At the command line in the greetings directory, run the
    <a href="/cmd/go/#hdr-Test_packages"
      ><code>go test</code> command</a
    >
    to execute the test.

    <p>
      The <code>go test</code> command executes test functions (whose names
      begin with <code>Test</code>) in test files (whose names end with
      _test.go). You can add the <code>-v</code> flag to get verbose output that
      lists all of the tests and their results.
    </p>

    <p>
      The tests should pass.
    </p>

    <pre>
$ go test
PASS
ok      example.com/greetings   0.364s

$ go test -v
=== RUN   TestHelloName
--- PASS: TestHelloName (0.00s)
=== RUN   TestHelloEmpty
--- PASS: TestHelloEmpty (0.00s)
PASS
ok      example.com/greetings   0.372s
</pre
    >
  </li>

  <li>
    Break the <code>greetings.Hello</code> function to view a failing test.

    <p>
      The <code>TestHelloName</code> test function checks the return value for
      the name you specified as a <code>Hello</code> function parameter. To view
      a failing test result, change the <code>greetings.Hello</code> function so
      that it no longer includes the name.
    </p>

    <p>
      In greetings/greetings.go, paste the following code in place of the
      <code>Hello</code> function. Note that the highlighted lines change the
      value that the function returns, as if the <code>name</code> argument had
      been accidentally removed.
    </p>

    <pre>
// Hello returns a greeting for the named person.
func Hello(name string) (string, error) {
    // If no name was given, return an error with a message.
    if name == "" {
        return name, errors.New("empty name")
    }
    // Create a message using a random format.
    <ins>// message := fmt.Sprintf(randomFormat(), name)
    message := fmt.Sprint(randomFormat())</ins>
    return message, nil
}
</pre>
  </li>

  <li>
    At the command line in the greetings directory, run <code>go test</code> to
    execute the test.

    <p>
      This time, run <code>go test</code> without the <code>-v</code> flag. The
      output will include results for only the tests that failed, which can be
      useful when you have a lot of tests. The <code>TestHelloName</code> test
      should fail -- <code>TestHelloEmpty</code> still passes.
    </p>

    <pre>
$ go test
--- FAIL: TestHelloName (0.00s)
    greetings_test.go:15: Hello("Gladys") = "Hail, %v! Well met!", &lt;nil>, want match for `\bGladys\b`, nil
FAIL
exit status 1
FAIL    example.com/greetings   0.182s
</pre
    >
  </li>
</ol>

<p>
  In the next (and last) topic, you'll see how to compile and install your code
  to run it locally.
</p>

<p class="Navigation">
  <a class="Navigation-prev" href="/doc/tutorial/greetings-multiple-people.html"
    >&lt; Return greetings for multiple people</a
  >
  <a class="Navigation-next" href="/doc/tutorial/compile-install.html"
    >Compile and install the application &gt;</a
  >
</p>