File Name Interpretation

The aegis program will attempt to determine the project file names from the file names given on the command line. All file names are stored within aegis projects as relative to the root of the baseline directory tree. The development directory and the integration directory are shadows of this baseline directory, and so these relative names apply here, too. Files named on the command line are first converted to absolute paths if necessary. They are then compared with the baseline path, the development directory path, and the integration directory path, to determine a baseline‐relative name. It is an error if the file named is outside one of these directory trees.

The -BAse_RElative option may be used to cause relative filenames to be interpreted as relative to the baseline path; absolute filenames will still be compared with the various paths in order to determine a baseline‐relative name.

The relative_filename_preference in the user configuration file may be used to modify this default behavior. See aeuconf(5) for more information.

Test Filename Generation

You may choose your own filename for a test, by specifying it on the command line.

If no filename is specified on the command line, a test filename is automatically generated. This is controlled by the new_test_filename field of the project configuration file (see aepconf(5) for more information. All automatically generated test filenames within a project are numbered uniquely. The default pattern for new test filenames is "test/XX/tXXXX[am].sh", where XX is the first 2 digits of the test number, XXXX is the whole test number, and [am] is a for automatic tests and m for manual tests.

Modifying Tests

Tests may be modified in future by adding them to a change with the aecp(1) command. Tests are treated just like any other source file, and are subject to the same process.

File Templates

When a new file is created in the development directory the project config file is searched for a template for the new file. If a template is found, the new file will be initialized to the template, otherwise it will be created empty. See aepconf(5) for more information.

The simplest form is to use template files, such as

file_template =
[


    {


        pattern = [ "*.c" ];


        body = "${read_file ${source template/c abs}}";


    },


    {


        pattern = [ "test/*/.sh" ];


        body = "${read_file ${source template/test abs}}";


    },
];

The template files themselves contain substitutions. The $filename substitution is available, and contains the name of the file being created. This can be manipulated in various ways when constructing the appropriate file contents. See aesub(5) for more information about substitutions.

It is also possible to run a command to create the new file. You can do this instead of specifying a body string, viz:

file_template =
[


    {


        pattern = [ "*" ];


        body_command = "perl ${source template.pl abs} $filename";


    },
];

Be careful to make sure that the test filename template pattern matches the new_test_filename field.

File Name Limitations

There are a number of controls available to limit the form of project file names. All of these controls may be found in the project configuration file, see aepconf(5) for more information. The most significant are briefly described here:

maximum_filename_length = integer;

This field is used to limit the length of filenames. All new files may not have path components longer than this. Defaults to 255 if not set. For maximum portability you should set this to 14.

posix_filename_charset = boolean;

This field may be used to limit the characters allowed in filenames to only those explicitly allowed by POSIX. Defaults to false if not set, meaning whatever your operating system will tolerate, except white space and high‐bit‐on characters. For maximum portability you should set this to true.

dos_filename_required = boolean;

This field may be used to limit filenames so that they conform to the DOS 8+3 filename limits and to the DOS filename character set. Defaults to false if not set.

windows_filename_required = boolean;

This field may be used to limit filenames so that they conform to the Windows98 and WindowsNT filename limits and character set. Defaults to false if not set.

shell_safe_filenames = boolean;

This field may be used to limit filenames so that they do not contain shell special characters. Defaults to true if not set. If this field is set to false, you will need to use the ${quote} substitution around filenames in commands, to ensure that filenames containing shell special characters do not have unintended side effects. Weird characters in filenames may also confuse your dependency maintenance tool.

allow_white_space_in_filenames = boolean;

allow_non_ascii_filenames = boolean;

filename_pattern_accept = [ string ];

This field is used to specify a list of patterns of acceptable filenames. Defaults to "*" if not set.

filename_pattern_reject = [ string ];

This field is used to specify a list of patterns of unacceptable filenames.

Please Note: Aegis also consults the underlying file system, to determine its notion of maximum file size. Where the file system's maximum file size is less than maximum_filename_length, the filesystem wins. This can happen, for example, when you are using the Linux UMSDOS file system, or when you have an NFS mounted an ancient V7 filesystem. Setting maximum_filename_length to 255 in these cases does not alter the fact that the underlying file systems limits are far smaller (12 and 14, respectively).

If your development directories (or your whole project) is on filesystems with filename limitations, or a portion of the heterogeneous builds take place in such an environment, it helps to tell Aegis what they are (using the project config file's fields) so that you don't run into the situation where the project builds on the more permissive environments, but fails with mysterious errors in the more limited environments.

If your development directories are routinely on a Linux UMSDOS filesystem, you would probably be better off setting dos_filename_required = true, and also changing the development_directory_template field. Heterogeneous development with various Windows environments may also require this.

Changing the Type of a File

If you want to change the type of a file (say, from a test to a source file, or vice versa) you could do it as two changes, by first using aerm(1) in one change and then using aenf(1) or aent(1) in a second change, or you can combine both steps in the same change. Remember to use the aerm -nowhiteout option or you will get a most peculiar new file template.

Notification

The new_test_command in the project config file is run, if set. The project_file_command is also run, if set, and if there has been an integration recently. See aepconf(5) for more information.

Regression Tests

Tests are treated as any other source file, and are maintained in the baseline and history with all other source files. The tests which must accompany every change accumulate in the project baseline, providing a definition of correct function for the baseline. These accumulated tests may be executed using an “aegis -REGression” command, to verify that the project will not “regress” as a result of a change.

Baseline Tests

Bug fixes are required to have their tests fail against the project baseline (in contrast to the development directory). This ensures that the test actually demonstrates the bug in the baseline, as well as demonstrating that it is fixed by the change. New functionality trivially fails against the baseline, and so aegis does not attempt to guess if a test is a bug fix test or new functionality test, it simply requires tests to fail against the baseline.

This requirement applies both to new tests being created by a change and also to tests which have been copied into a change for modification.

Reviewing Tests

Reviewers may be confident that aegis has enforced the test requirements; that a change must have tests, that the change must build, that the tests pass against the development directory, and that the tests fail against the baseline. These conditions are enforced by aede(1) and the change will not be advanced to the being reviewed state until these conditions are met. Reviewers should thus review tests for completeness of coverage of the code in the change, and insensitivity to changes in the execution environment (e.g. not date sensitive). Reviewers should also use “aegis -list change_details” to verify that a change does or does not have testing exemptions.

Exemptions

Various test exemptions may be granted by project administrators, see aepa(1) and aepattr(5) for more information. Copying tests into a change, or adding new tests to a change, may cancel those exemptions.

Test Correlation Accuracy

Assuming that the testing correlations are accurate and that the tests are evenly distributed across the function space, there will be a less than 1/number chance that a relevant test has not been run by the “aegis -Test -SUGgest number” command. A small amount of noise is added to the test weighting, so that unexpected things are sometimes tested, and the same tests are not run every time.

Test correlation accuracy can be improved by ensuring that:

•

Each change should be strongly focused, with no gratuitous file inclusions. This avoids spurious correlations.

•

Each item of new functionality should be added in an individual change, rather than several together. This strongly correlates tests with functionality.

•

Each bug should be fixed in an individual change, rather than several together. This strongly correlates tests with functionality.

•

Test correlations will be lost if files are moved. This is because correlations are by name.

The best way for tests to correlate accurately with source files is when a change contains a test and exactly those files relating to the functionality under test. Too many spurious files will weaken the usefulness of the testing correlations.