Automated Regression Tests (was Re: 4.0.2 Release date)

Hello All, This just in from Stig. Perhaps we should take a look at this as being the base for the testing system?

Zak, PHP has been in need of a fully automated regression testing system again for a while. We used to have one, but most people find tests almost as boring to write as documentation, so it was dissolved by the time we released 3.0. I've started experimenting with a framework for this in the pear subdir (see pear/run-tests.in). It's modular by defining a subdir in every dir called "tests" where test scripts (written in PHP) and their expected output are stored in files called "testname.t" and "testname.o" (plus maybe a "testname.i" file if the test needs file input). What if the QA team members, whenever using test scripts to verify that a bug is really gone, put their test code into this or a similar structure, so we can "re-use" your efforts automatically? That way we at least get regression tests for all bugs that are fixed. I assume I'm not the only one who finds pleasure in seeing screenfull upon screenfull of "test passed" ;-). - Stig