tap

What is tap?

The 'tap' npm package is a Test Anything Protocol (TAP) producer for Node.js. It is used for writing tests in JavaScript and provides a simple way to create and run tests, generate reports, and handle assertions.

What are tap's main functionalities?

Basic Test Creation

This feature allows you to create basic tests using the 'tap' module. The example demonstrates a simple test that checks if 1 + 1 equals 2.

const tap = require('tap');
tap.test('basic test', t => {
  t.equal(1 + 1, 2, '1 + 1 should equal 2');
  t.end();
});

Asynchronous Testing

This feature allows you to write asynchronous tests. The example shows how to use async/await to handle asynchronous operations within a test.

const tap = require('tap');
tap.test('async test', async t => {
  const result = await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(() => resolve(42), 100));
  t.equal(result, 42, 'result should be 42');
  t.end();
});

Nested Tests

This feature allows you to create nested tests. The example demonstrates a parent test containing a child test, which helps in organizing tests hierarchically.

const tap = require('tap');
tap.test('parent test', t => {
  t.test('child test', t => {
    t.equal(2 * 2, 4, '2 * 2 should equal 4');
    t.end();
  });
  t.end();
});

Assertions

This feature provides various assertion methods to validate test conditions. The example shows different types of assertions like ok, notOk, equal, and notEqual.

const tap = require('tap');
tap.test('assertions test', t => {
  t.ok(true, 'this should be true');
  t.notOk(false, 'this should be false');
  t.equal(3, 3, '3 should equal 3');
  t.notEqual(3, 4, '3 should not equal 4');
  t.end();
});

Other packages similar to tap

mocha

Mocha is a feature-rich JavaScript test framework running on Node.js and in the browser, making asynchronous testing simple and fun. It provides a variety of interfaces (BDD, TDD, etc.) and supports a wide range of reporters. Compared to 'tap', Mocha is more flexible and has a larger community.

jest

Jest is a delightful JavaScript Testing Framework with a focus on simplicity. It works out of the box for most JavaScript projects and provides a rich API for assertions, mocking, and more. Jest is more opinionated and comes with built-in features like snapshot testing, which 'tap' does not offer.

ava

AVA is a test runner for Node.js with a concise API, detailed error output, and process isolation. It runs tests concurrently, which can lead to faster test execution. AVA's approach to concurrency and simplicity makes it different from 'tap', which runs tests sequentially by default.

README

This is a mix-and-match set of utilities that you can use to write test harnesses and frameworks that communicate with one another using the Test Anything Protocol.

If you don't yet know what TAP is, you better ask somebody.

Default Usage:

1. Make a directory. Maybe call it 'test'. That'd be nice and obvious.
2. Put a bunch of test scripts in there. If they're node programs, then they should be ".js". Anything else is assumed to be some kind of shell script, which should have a shebang line.
3. npm install tap
4. tap ./tests

The output will be TAP-compliant.

For extra special bonus points, you can do something like this:

var test = require("tap").test
test("make sure the thingie is a thing", function (t) {
  t.equal(thingie, "thing", "thingie should be thing")
  t.type(thingie, "string", "type of thingie is string")
  t.ok(true, "this is always true")
  t.notOk(false, "this is never true")
  t.test("a child test", function (t) {
    t.equal(this, superEasy, "right!?")
    t.similar(7, 2, "ever notice 7 is kinda like 2?", {todo: true})
    t.test("so skippable", {skip: true}, function (t) {
      t.plan(1) // only one test in this block
      t.ok(true, "but when the flag changes, it'll pass")
      // no need to end, since we had a plan.
    })
    t.end()
  })
  t.ok(99, "can also skip individual assertions", {skip: true})
  // end lets it know it's over.
  t.end()
})
test("another one", function (t) {
  t.plan(1)
  t.ok(true, "It's ok to plan, and also end.  Watch.")
  t.end() // but it must match the plan!
})

Node-tap is actually a collection of several packages, any of which may be mixed and matched however you please.

If you don't like this test framework, and think you can do much much better, I strongly encourage you to do so! If you use this library, however, at least to output TAP-compliant results when process.env.TAP is set, then the data coming out of your framework will be much more consumable by machines.

That matters. Or rather, it will, very soon.

You can also use this to build programs that consume the TAP data, so this is very useful for CI systems and such.

• tap-assert: A collection of assert functions that return TAP result objects.
• tap-consumer: A stream interface for consuming TAP data.
• tap-producer: A class that produces a TAP stream by taking in result objects.
• tap-results: A class for keeping track of TAP result objects as they pass by, counting up skips, passes, fails, and so on.
• tap-runner: A program that runs through a directory running all the tests in it. (Tests which may or may not be TAP-outputting tests. But it's better if they are.)
• tap-test: A class for actually running tests.
• tap-harness: A class that runs tests. (Tests are also Harnesses, which is how sub-tests run.)
• tap-global-harness: A default harness that provides the top-level support for running TAP tests.

More docs coming soon, hopefully.