tarantool / tarantool/luatest

Add t.helper() to skip helper frames in assertion error locations

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Dominant language
Lua
Stars
41
Forks
13
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Problem

When a test fails inside a helper function, the error location points to the helper's internal line, not the test that called it.

Proposal

Add t.helper() — mark a function as a helper so assertion errors point to its caller instead.

local function assert_foo(actual)
    t.helper()
    t.assert_equals(actual, 'foo')
end

function g.test_foo()
    assert_foo('bar')
    -- error points HERE, not inside assert_foo
end

Works with nested helpers — all helper frames are skipped.

Inspired by Go's t.Helper().

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by tracing how assertion failures determine their source location and how test calls are represented. Add the t.helper() behavior described in the proposal, then verify that marked helper frames are skipped, including nested helpers, while the calling test location is reported.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
lua
Domain
testing
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
68/100

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