NAME

Lab::Measurement::Developer::Testing - Using mock instruments for testing

VERSION

version 3.630

Using mock instruments for testing.

Connection logging.

You can monitor all method calls to the interface defined in Connection.pm. To do this, you use a Log connection:

 my $instr = Instrument('Agilent34410A', {
           connection_type => 'LinuxGPIB::Log',
	   logfile => 'mylogfile.yml'
           gpib_address => 17});

This will log all calls to the connection's methods:

Clear

Write

Read

Query

BrutalRead

LongQuery

BrutalQuery

timeout

block_connection

unblock_connection

is_blocked

This information is then stored in mylogfile.yml. The contents of this file might look like this:

---
id: 0
method: is_blocked
retval: 0
---
command: FUNCTION 'volt:ac'
id: 1
method: Write
retval: 1
---
id: 2
method: is_blocked
retval: 0
---
command: FUNCTION?
id: 3
method: Query
retval: '"VOLT:AC"'
---
command: '*RST'
id: 4
method: Write
retval: 1

For each call, we log the method name and the return value. Some methods receive additional parameters, like the command sent to the instrument.

Mock instruments.

Mock instruments are the main ingredient when building unit tests for the Lab::Measurement package.

Using the output from a Log connection, it is possible to rerun a measurement script without using the physical instrument.

This is done by providing a previously recorded log file to the Mock connection:

 my $instr = Instrument('Agilent34410A', {
           connection_type => 'Mock',
	   logfile => 'mylogfile.yml'});

The Mock connection will croak, if the calls to it deviate from the provided log file.

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is copyright (c) 2018 by the Lab::Measurement team; in detail:

Copyright 2016       Simon Reinhardt
          2017       Andreas K. Huettel

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.