Test points

1. Verify values of variables.
   This feature can be used to test internal state during function execution.
2. Assign values to variables.
   This feature can be used to test behavior under conditions, which can not be triggered otherwise, for example to implement fault injection.
3. Log values of variables.
   These values are stored to reports if we need them for reference anytime later.
4. Run script function
   Scripts can be used when even more flexibility than described here is required.

Location

Since test point can be located at any line which generates executable code, we must have a way to tell testIDEA where to set it. File name and line number are often not a good idea, because line numbers change as we edit the code. For this reason there exist several options to define test point location in source code. Two recommended ones are described below:
• If we have access to source code and can modify it, the recommended way is to put a special comment in the line with test point. This comment should contain string TID: <testPointID>, for example:
  i = 10; // TID: myTestPoint
  If single line C++ comments can not be used, then the following also works:

  i = 10; /* // TID: myTestPoint */

  The Source code location dialog should then look like shown below:

  

• If we do not have access to source code or can not modify it, then any string in the line with test point can be used, just make sure it is unique in the given line range.

Note: Not all source code line generate code, and not all declared local variables exist, especially when we use optimizing compiler. Test points can be set only on lines which generate code and can get/set only values of variables which exist. In winIDEA all source code lines which generate code have rectangles on the left edge:



Test point hit actions

Since one test point can be hit multiple times during test execution, we have possibility to specify different actions for each hit. We can specify the following:
• Variables
  Assignments to return value, output parameters, and global variables.
• Script params
  Parameters to script extension function.
• Next step
  Index of the line with actions to be executed on next test point hit. If not specified, actions in the next line are executed on next test point hit. If the last line does not have this item specified, it is used on all following test point hits.



Indices of action lines are zero based and are shown in the leftmost column in the table.

Using hardware breakpoints

See section Stubs in this manual for the description of custom setting of hardware breakpoints.