I want to implement unit testing in my Xcode
project, and would like to run tests without requiring the application to be started.
Reasons for this are, I have a core data based document app, that also uses a cvdisplay link to control continuous rendering in a background thread.
It strikes me that I do not need a running application to test core data datamodel functionality, this should be distinct from view stuff anyway. Also I would like to isolate and performance test my background rendering processes, something that seems very difficult with the app running, but could easily do without the application running, just getting the right classes and feed it the correct data.
I've seen other questions that have answers for Xcode versions before six, but the answers don't seem to work for the current version.
The docs now make a distinction between application and library tests. Library tests are run against library targets.
I'm not sure i want to reorganise my code into distinct libraries at the moment, and would prefer to avoid it or fake it somehow.
I saw somewhere an openradar relating to this in ios, but I'm interested in osx.
Has anyone any insight into this?
EDIT : Learning to cope with the existing setup for now, testing with full app running, I can run some checks on that, then I close all documents and shut down the display link.
I can then run tests creating my own persistent store coordinator, in memory datastore and context, as well as testing my rendering classes without fear of conflict with the other display thread.
I'm now running into troubles with linking sources, I just can't seem to get it right, I fiddle with settings, it seems to work for a bit, then suddenly stops building again with Undefined symbols for architecture x86_64: errors, either that or problems linking with 3rd party private frameworks. I look through the web, change a few things, it starts working again. Then I add some tests, importing more of my classes, things stop working again.,.. Infuriating
EDIT 2: Pretty much all sorted now, but maybe not terribly efficient. For each test case class, I either open or close documents and start or stop the display link in the +(void)setup method. I don't do anything in the +(void)tearDown, and let the setup decide how to proceed based on the current state.
Although this means it's possible to flow from one test class to another minimizing document opens and closes, there doesn't seem to be a way to order the tests so that I could group them together.
BTW, I also solved my mentioned linking troubles (XCode 6 Testing Target Troubles), not really relevant to this question though.