507654 - Update all controller.assert methods with a template fail message

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Testing Graveyard :: Mozmill, defect)

Description

[u279076]

Current asserts use a message like "assert failed to check element <el>".  This is confusing as check could mean "check as in checkbox" or it could mean "check as in verify".

The proposal, carried over from https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=506393#c6, is to use "<assert_method_name> for element <el>".  As Mozmill automatically prepends all failures with "fail", this will result in a failure message something like this "fail: <assert_method_name> for element <el>".

A tweak on this proposal is to use a description of the assert instead of the method name.  The following is a comparison of the two proposals using assertChecked on the SSL checkbox in Preferences:

  fail: "assertChecked for element useSSL3"
    - or -
  fail: "assert checkbox is checked for element useSSL3"

Another example using assertPropertyNotExist on the SSL checkbox:

  fail: "assertPropertyNotExist for element useSSL3"
    - or - 
  fail: "assert property does not exist for element useSSL3"

Suggestions? Comments? Feedback?

Comment 1

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

When I think about the proposals I like the way to include the method name. It will make it easier to find the line in the test itself which fails. Personally I vote for "fail: "assertPropertyNotExist for element useSSL3". That will never be confusing.

Comment 2

[Mikeal Rogers [:mikeal] (mrogers@)]

We need to build these dynamically and not copy and paste a template, if we copy and paste then it's going to a be a maintenance nightmare as it was in windmill before we started building them dynamically.

Comment 3

[u279076]

To be absolutely clear, the proposal is not about creating template methods...

The template is intended only for the @throws messages when an assert fails and is intended as a procedural template; meaning that we all agree to a certain style for formatting assert @throws messages.

Comment 4

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

controller.assert() is marked as deprecated. With Mozmill 2.0 we can make use of the Assert and Expect classes directly. So calling this a wontfix.