[webkit-dev] what's important in layouttests?

[Dan Bernstein]

On Jun 25, 2009, at 7:54 PM, David Jones wrote:

> I am confused about webkit's layouttests.
> 1.What's the layouttess used for?

The layout tests are used to detect unintended changes in engine  
behavior, which are typically regressions.

> Are they provided only for developers who want to create a browser  
> with webkit to test if their browser behaves right?

No. They do not test browsers, they only test the WebKit engine. They  
are used by everyone who makes code changes to WebKit to ensure that  
the changes do not introduce regressions. Adding new tests when fixing  
bugs makes it almost impossible for the bug to come back undetected.

> 2.The layouttests use Safari to run all the tests, right?

No. The DumpRenderTree tool, which is part of the WebKit source tree,  
is used to run all of them. A script called run-webkit-tests drives  
DumpRenderTree.

> 3.I noticed some tests need an app server, how do they start one?

Some tests use a local HTTP server. run-webkit-tests sets it up, but  
you can also use run-webkit-httpd to start the server independently.

> 4.Is layouttest only for Leopard?

No. They are cross-platform. In some cases, the results differ  
depending on the platform. The LayoutTests directory includes expected  
test results for all tests. If a test has platform-specific results,  
they can appear in subdirectories of LayoutTests/platform. Cross- 
platform results live alongside the test.

> If I want to take it into my project, what should I do?

I do not understand this question.