ginkgolinter

README

ginkgo-linter

ginkgo is a popular testing framework and gomega is its assertion package.

This is a golang linter to enforce some standards while using the ginkgo and gomega packages.

Install the CLI

Download the right executable from the latest release, according to your OS.

Another option is to use go:

go install github.com/nunnatsa/ginkgolinter/cmd/ginkgolinter@latest

Then add the new executable to your PATH.

usage

ginkgolinter [-fix] ./...

Use the -fix flag to apply the fix suggestions to the source code.

Use ginkgolinter with golangci-lint

The ginkgolinter is now part of the popular golangci-lint, starting from version v1.51.1.

It is not enabled by default, though. There are two ways to run ginkgolinter with golangci-lint:

• From command line:

  golangci-lint run -E ginkgolinter ./...
  

• From configuration:

  Add ginkgolinter to the enabled linters list in .golangci.reference.yml file in your project. For more details, see the golangci-lint documentation; e.g.

  linters:
    enable:
      - ginkgolinter
  

Linter Checks

The linter checks the ginkgo and gomega assertions in golang test code. Gomega may be used together with ginkgo tests, For example:

It("should test something", func() { // It is ginkgo test case function
	Expect("abcd").To(HaveLen(4), "the string should have a length of 4") // Expect is the gomega assertion
})

or within a classic golang test code, like this:

func TestWithGomega(t *testing.T) {
	g := NewWithT(t)
	g.Expect("abcd").To(HaveLen(4), "the string should have a length of 4")
}

In some cases, the gomega will be passed as a variable to function by ginkgo, for example:

Eventually(func(g Gomega) error {
	g.Expect("abcd").To(HaveLen(4), "the string should have a length of 4")
	return nil
}).Should(Succeed())

The linter checks the Expect, ExpectWithOffset and the Ω "actual" functions, with the Should, ShouldNot, To, ToNot and NotTo assertion functions.

It also supports the embedded Not() matcher

Some checks find actual bugs, and some are more for style.

Using a function call in async assertion [BUG]

This rule finds an actual bug in tests, where asserting a function call in an async function; e.g. Eventually. For example:

func slowInt(int val) int {
	time.Sleep(time.Second)
	return val
}

...

It("should test that slowInt returns 42, eventually", func() {
	Eventually(slowInt(42)).WithPolling(time.Millisecond * 100).WithTimeout(time.Second * 2).Equal(42)
})

The problem with the above code is that it should poll - call the function - until it returns 42, but what actually happens is that first the function is called, and we pass 42 to Eventually - not the function. This is not what we tried to do here.

The linter will suggest replacing this code by:

It("should test that slowInt returns 42, eventually", func() {
	Eventually(slowInt).WithArguments(42).WithPolling(time.Millisecond * 100).WithTimeout(time.Second * 2).Equal(42)
})

The linter suggested replacing the function call by the function name.

If function arguments are used, the linter will add the WithArguments() method to pass them.

Please notice that WithArguments() is only supported from gomenga v1.22.0.

When using an older version of gomega, change the code manually. For example:

It("should test that slowInt returns 42, eventually", func() {
	Eventually(func() int {
		slowint(42)		
	}).WithPolling(time.Millisecond * 100).WithTimeout(time.Second * 2).Equal(42)
})

Comparing a pointer with a value [BUG]

The linter warns when comparing a pointer with a value. These comparisons are always wrong and will always fail.

In case of a positive assertion (To() or Should()), the test will just fail.

But the main concern is for false positive tests, when using a negative assertion (NotTo(), ToNot(), ShouldNot(), Should(Not()) etc.); e.g.

num := 5
...
pNum := &num
...
Expect(pNum).ShouldNot(Equal(6))

This assertion will pass, but for the wrong reasons: pNum is not equal 6, not because num == 5, but because pNum is a pointer, while 6 is an int.

In the case above, the linter will suggest Expect(pNum).ShouldNot(HaveValue(Equal(6)))

This is also right for additional matchers: BeTrue() and BeFalse(), BeIdenticalTo(), BeEquivalentTo() and BeNumerically.

Missing Assertion Method [BUG]

The linter warns when calling an "actual" method (e.g. Expect(), Eventually() etc.), without an assertion method (e.g Should(), NotTo() etc.)

For example:

// no assertion for the result
Eventually(doSomething).WithTimeout(time.Seconds * 5).WithPolling(time.Milliseconds * 100)

The linter will not suggest a fix for this warning.

This rule cannot be suppressed.

Focus Container / Focus individual spec found [BUG]

This rule finds ginkgo focus containers, or the Focus individual spec in the code.

ginkgo supports the FDescribe, FContext, FWhen, FIt, FDescribeTable and FEntry containers to allow the developer to focus on a specific test or set of tests during test development or debug.

For example:

var _ = Describe("checking something", func() {
    FIt("this test is the only one that will run", func(){
        ...
    })
})

Alternatively, the Focus individual spec may be used for the same purpose, e.g.

var _ = Describe("checking something", Focus, func() {
    It("this test is the only one that will run", func(){
        ...
    })
})

These container, or the Focus spec, must not be part of the final source code, and should only be used locally by the developer.

This rule is disabled by default. Use the --forbid-focus-container=true command line flag to enable it.

Comparing values from different types [BUG]

The Equal and the BeIdentical matchers also check the type, not only the value.

The following code will fail in runtime:

x := 5 // x is int
Expect(x).Should(Eqaul(uint(5)) // x and uint(5) are with different

When using negative checks, it's even worse, because we get a false positive:

x := 5
Expect(x).ShouldNot(Equal(uint(5))

The linter suggests two options to solve this warning: either compare with the same type, e.g. using casting, or use the BeEquivalentTo matcher.

The linter can't guess what is the best solution in each case, and so it won't auto-fix this warning.

To suppress this warning entirely, use the --suppress-type-compare-assertion=true command line parameter.

To suppress a specific file or line, use the // ginkgo-linter:ignore-type-compare-warning comment (see below)

Wrong Length Assertion [STYLE]

The linter finds assertion of the golang built-in len function, with all kind of matchers, while there are already gomega matchers for these usecases; We want to assert the item, rather than its length.

There are several wrong patterns:

Expect(len(x)).To(Equal(0)) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeEmpty())
Expect(len(x)).To(BeZero()) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeEmpty())
Expect(len(x)).To(BeNumeric(">", 0)) // should be: Expect(x).ToNot(BeEmpty())
Expect(len(x)).To(BeNumeric(">=", 1)) // should be: Expect(x).ToNot(BeEmpty())
Expect(len(x)).To(BeNumeric("==", 0)) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeEmpty())
Expect(len(x)).To(BeNumeric("!=", 0)) // should be: Expect(x).ToNot(BeEmpty())

Expect(len(x)).To(Equal(1)) // should be: Expect(x).To(HaveLen(1))
Expect(len(x)).To(BeNumeric("==", 2)) // should be: Expect(x).To(HaveLen(2))
Expect(len(x)).To(BeNumeric("!=", 3)) // should be: Expect(x).ToNot(HaveLen(3))

It also supports the embedded Not() matcher; e.g.

Ω(len(x)).Should(Not(Equal(4))) => Ω(x).ShouldNot(HaveLen(4))

Or even (double negative):

Ω(len(x)).To(Not(BeNumeric(">", 0))) => Ω(x).To(BeEmpty())

The output of the linter,when finding issues, looks like this:

./testdata/src/a/a.go:14:5: ginkgo-linter: wrong length assertion; consider using `Expect("abcd").Should(HaveLen(4))` instead
./testdata/src/a/a.go:18:5: ginkgo-linter: wrong length assertion; consider using `Expect("").Should(BeEmpty())` instead
./testdata/src/a/a.go:22:5: ginkgo-linter: wrong length assertion; consider using `Expect("").Should(BeEmpty())` instead

use the HaveLen(0) matcher. [STYLE]

The linter will also warn about the HaveLen(0) matcher, and will suggest to replace it with BeEmpty()

Wrong nil Assertion [STYLE]

The linter finds assertion of the comparison to nil, with all kind of matchers, instead of using the existing BeNil() matcher; We want to assert the item, rather than a comparison result.

There are several wrong patterns:

Expect(x == nil).To(Equal(true)) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeNil())
Expect(nil == x).To(Equal(true)) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeNil())
Expect(x != nil).To(Equal(true)) // should be: Expect(x).ToNot(BeNil())
Expect(nil != nil).To(Equal(true)) // should be: Expect(x).ToNot(BeNil())

Expect(x == nil).To(BeTrue()) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeNil())
Expect(x == nil).To(BeFalse()) // should be: Expect(x).ToNot(BeNil())

It also supports the embedded Not() matcher; e.g.

Ω(x == nil).Should(Not(BeTrue())) => Ω(x).ShouldNot(BeNil())

Or even (double negative):

Ω(x != nil).Should(Not(BeTrue())) => Ω(x).Should(BeNil())

Wrong boolean Assertion [STYLE]

The linter finds assertion using the Equal method, with the values of to true or false, instead of using the existing BeTrue() or BeFalse() matcher.

There are several wrong patterns:

Expect(x).To(Equal(true)) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeTrue())
Expect(x).To(Equal(false)) // should be: Expect(x).To(BeFalse())

It also supports the embedded Not() matcher; e.g.

Ω(x).Should(Not(Equal(True))) => Ω(x).ShouldNot(BeTrue())

Wrong Error Assertion [STYLE]

The linter finds assertion of errors compared with nil, or to be equal nil, or to be nil. The linter suggests to use Succeed for functions or HaveOccurred for error values..

There are several wrong patterns:

Expect(err).To(BeNil()) // should be: Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
Expect(err == nil).To(Equal(true)) // should be: Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
Expect(err == nil).To(BeFalse()) // should be: Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
Expect(err != nil).To(BeTrue()) // should be: Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
Expect(funcReturnsError()).To(BeNil()) // should be: Expect(funcReturnsError()).To(Succeed())

and so on

It also supports the embedded Not() matcher; e.g.

Ω(err == nil).Should(Not(BeTrue())) => Ω(x).Should(HaveOccurred())

Wrong Comparison Assertion [STYLE]

The linter finds assertion of boolean comparisons, which are already supported by existing gomega matchers.

The linter assumes that when compared something to literals or constants, these values should be used for the assertion, and it will do its best to suggest the right assertion expression accordingly.

There are several wrong patterns:

var x = 10
var s = "abcd"

...

Expect(x == 10).Should(BeTrue()) // should be Expect(x).Should(Equal(10))
Expect(10 == x).Should(BeTrue()) // should be Expect(x).Should(Equal(10))
Expect(x != 5).Should(Equal(true)) // should be Expect(x).ShouldNot(Equal(5))
Expect(x != 0).Should(Equal(true)) // should be Expect(x).ShouldNot(BeZero())

Expect(s != "abcd").Should(BeFalse()) // should be Expect(s).Should(Equal("abcd"))
Expect("abcd" != s).Should(BeFalse()) // should be Expect(s).Should(Equal("abcd"))

Or non-equal comparisons:

Expect(x > 10).To(BeTrue()) // ==> Expect(x).To(BeNumerically(">", 10))
Expect(x >= 15).To(BeTrue()) // ==> Expect(x).To(BeNumerically(">=", 15))
Expect(3 > y).To(BeTrue()) // ==> Expect(y).To(BeNumerically("<", 3))
// and so on ...

This check included a limited support in constant values. For example:

const c1 = 5

...

Expect(x1 == c1).Should(BeTrue()) // ==> Expect(x1).Should(Equal(c1))
Expect(c1 == x1).Should(BeTrue()) // ==> Expect(x1).Should(Equal(c1))

Suppress the linter

Suppress warning from command line

• Use the --suppress-len-assertion=true flag to suppress the wrong length assertion warning
• Use the --suppress-nil-assertion=true flag to suppress the wrong nil assertion warning
• Use the --suppress-err-assertion=true flag to suppress the wrong error assertion warning
• Use the --suppress-compare-assertion=true flag to suppress the wrong comparison assertion warning
• Use the --suppress-async-assertion=true flag to suppress the function call in async assertion warning
• Use the --forbid-focus-container=true flag to activate the focused container assertion (deactivated by default)
• Use the --suppress-type-compare-assertion=true to suppress the type compare assertion warning
• Use the --allow-havelen-0=true flag to avoid warnings about HaveLen(0); Note: this parameter is only supported from command line, and not from a comment.

Suppress warning from the code

To suppress the wrong length assertion warning, add a comment with (only)

ginkgo-linter:ignore-len-assert-warning.

To suppress the wrong nil assertion warning, add a comment with (only)

ginkgo-linter:ignore-nil-assert-warning.

To suppress the wrong error assertion warning, add a comment with (only)

ginkgo-linter:ignore-err-assert-warning.

To suppress the wrong comparison assertion warning, add a comment with (only)

ginkgo-linter:ignore-compare-assert-warning.

To suppress the wrong async assertion warning, add a comment with (only)

ginkgo-linter:ignore-async-assert-warning.

To supress the focus container warning, add a comment with (only)

ginkgo-linter:ignore-focus-container-warning

To suppress the different type comparison, add a comment with (only)

ginkgo-linter:ignore-type-compare-warning

Notice that this comment will not work for an anonymous variable container like

// ginkgo-linter:ignore-focus-container-warning (not working!!)
var _ = FDescribe(...)

In this case, use the file comment (see bellow).

There are two options to use these comments:

1. If the comment is at the top of the file, supress the warning for the whole file; e.g.:

   package mypackage
   
   // ginkgo-linter:ignore-len-assert-warning
   
   import (
       . "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
       . "github.com/onsi/gomega"
   )
   
   var _ = Describe("my test", func() {
        It("should do something", func() {
            Expect(len("abc")).Should(Equal(3)) // nothing in this file will trigger the warning
        })
   })
   

2. If the comment is before a wrong length check expression, the warning is suppressed for this expression only; for example:

   It("should test something", func() {
       // ginkgo-linter:ignore-nil-assert-warning
       Expect(x == nil).Should(BeTrue()) // this line will not trigger the warning
       Expect(x == nil).Should(BeTrue()) // this line will trigger the warning
   }
   

Documentation

Index

• Variables
• func NewAnalyzer() *analysis.Analyzer

Variables

var Analyzer = NewAnalyzer()

Analyzer is the interface to go_vet

Functions

func NewAnalyzer

func NewAnalyzer() *analysis.Analyzer

NewAnalyzer returns an Analyzer - the package interface with nogo