Request.classes(newTestClass).getRunner().getDescription()

[Reissner]

With a quite straightforward testclass annotated
@RunWith(Suite.class)
@SuiteClasses({
XMSectionTest.Basic.class
})
public class XMSectionTest {
...

I obtain for Request.classes(testClass).getRunner().getDescription() the value null,
whereas for Request.aClass(testClass).getRunner().getDescription()
I obtain eu.simuline.arithmetics.left2right.XMSectionTest
Hm,.... the first seems a bug to me,
whereas the second one.. seems to me at least uncomfortable,
because I think the description shall reflect the structure of the request and not its origin.

[marcphilipp]

For the sake of a complete example:

@RunWith(Suite.class)
@SuiteClasses({
        XMSectionTest.Basic.class
})
public class XMSectionTest {
    public static class Basic {
        @Test
        public void test() {
            Assert.fail("foo");
        }
    }

    public static void main(String... args) {
        Class<?> testClass = XMSectionTest.class;

        System.out.println("Request.classes(testClass):");
        printTree(Request.classes(testClass).getRunner().getDescription());
        System.out.println();

        System.out.println("Request.aClass(testClass):");
        printTree(Request.aClass(testClass).getRunner().getDescription());
        System.out.println();
    }

    private static void printTree(Description description) {
        printTree(description, "- ");
    }
    private static void printTree(Description description, String indentation) {
        System.out.print(indentation);
        System.out.println(description + " (" + System.identityHashCode(description) + ")");
        for (Description child : description.getChildren()) {
            printTree(child, "  " + indentation);
        }
    }
}

Executing the main method prints:

Request.classes(testClass):
- null (1325547227)
  - org.junit.tests.XMSectionTest (980546781)
    - org.junit.tests.XMSectionTest$Basic (2061475679)
      - test(org.junit.tests.XMSectionTest$Basic) (140435067)

Request.aClass(testClass):
- org.junit.tests.XMSectionTest (1450495309)
  - org.junit.tests.XMSectionTest$Basic (1670782018)
    - test(org.junit.tests.XMSectionTest$Basic) (1706377736)

So, there is an intended difference: When using Request.classes there's an additional Description at the root of the hierarchy. Its display name is "null" because it doesn't have a test class associated with it. So the descriptor is not null but its toString() method returns the String "null".

Why would the second be "uncomfortable"?

[kcooney]

I think it makes sense for the root Description node from Request.classes() has no class name, but it does seem weird that the toString() returns null. Can someone suggest a better string representation? Perhaps "classes"?

[marcphilipp]

I think "classes" sounds good!