TestTask fails with -n but works with --name

[akostadinov]

Just noticed an issue with TestTask that it doesn't properly recognize the -n option as a shorthand of --n as documented:

$ bundle exec rake test TESTOPTS='--help'
...
    -n, --name=NAME                  Runs tests matching NAME.
                                     Use '/PATTERN/' for NAME to use regular expression.
                                     Regular expression accepts options.
                                     Example: '/taRget/i' matches 'target' and 'TARGET'
...

It works when I run:

🐚 bundle exec rake test TEST=test/gnuplot_printer_test.rb TESTOPTS='--name=/write/'
/home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/bin/ruby -w -I"lib" /home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/3.2.0/gems/rake-13.0.6/lib/rake/rake_test_loader.rb "test/gnuplot_printer_test.rb" --name=/write/
Loaded suite /home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/3.2.0/gems/rake-13.0.6/lib/rake/rake_test_loader
Started
.
Finished in 0.001170365 seconds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 tests, 4 assertions, 0 failures, 0 errors, 0 pendings, 0 omissions, 0 notifications
100% passed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But it fails when I use a shorthand:

🐚 bundle exec rake test TEST=test/gnuplot_printer_test.rb TESTOPTS='-n /write/'
/home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/bin/ruby -w -I"lib" /home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/3.2.0/gems/rake-13.0.6/lib/rake/rake_test_loader.rb "test/gnuplot_printer_test.rb" -n /write/
File does not exist: /write
rake aborted!
Command failed with status (1): [ruby -w -I"lib" /home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/3.2.0/gems/rake-13.0.6/lib/rake/rake_test_loader.rb "test/gnuplot_printer_test.rb" -n /write/]
/home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/bin/bundle:25:in `load'
/home/user/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.2.2/bin/bundle:25:in `<main>'
Tasks: TOP => test
(See full trace by running task with --trace)

In case that matters, using Test::Unit 3.5.7 framework.

-- rake, version 13.0.6

[fatkodima]

That --name option comes from Test::Unit. This is how rake invokes test tasks - https://github.com/ruby/rake/blob/master/lib/rake/rake_test_loader.rb. It just forwards arguments starting with -, and tries to load as test files all the others. When you use something like --name=test_foo, this is a single argument, but when -n test_foo this 2 arguments and only -n is forwarded, but test_foo is treated as a file name.

The same applies for all other options, not just name, which you pass through single - syntax. I am not sure something can be done in the rake to solve this.

[fatkodima]

I would expect that file names are actually passed via TEST env variable, and TEST_OPTS consists only options which are passed directly as is. Personally, I use them as I described. Probably it is done this way for convenience (to be able to use only TEST_OPTS).

[akostadinov]

What can be done is to pass TESTOPTS as opts, not as files I guess.

[fatkodima]

Probably yes, and I would expect it to behave this way, as I mentioned, but this would introduce backwards incompatible changes for one of the most used gems.

[gerrywastaken]

Yeah this burnt a lot of time. Thanks for pointing out the work around @akostadinov :)