Hello Wine team!
After reading the introduction to AppInstall at http://www.winehq.org/wwn/360, I decided to try and write some additional application tests for it. There are at least two freely downloadable win32 apps that I run with Wine, that have in the past (in my experience) been quite sensitive to small improvements/regressions in certain areas of wine (gecko engine and opengl, namely), so having them automatically tested daily could be useful...
Unfortunately, however, the wiki page (http://wiki.winehq.org/Appinstall) doesn't really provide a guide for how to go about doing this... It explains the text that will need to be put in the actual test script (which I could have also figured out by looking at the well-documented example scripts), but almost nothing about how you need to set up your working environment, what files to put where, which commands to call, etc, for the purpose of writing/testing a new AppInstall script from scratch.
In absence of such a guide, I just downloaded the whole http://winezeug.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/appinstall directory, copied it into a Windows XP environment (because according to the WWN article, you're supposed to write the tests on Windows), and started by duplicating one of the example files. However, when I open a Command Prompt window and try to run one of the .ahk files with AutoHotKey, nothing really happens - all I see is some additional Command Prompt windows popping up for a split second and disappearing again, and then the command returns - nothing downloaded, no output, no error messages, nothing. (Btw, I don't even understand where the dowloads specified in the scripts are supposed to end up...)
How am I supposed to do this?
More generally: Could someone who knows how to do this maybe put up a step-by-step guide for users who want to contibute by writing new AppInstall tests, with no prior knowledge? Possibly something along the lines of:
- what/how do download - on Windows: what files to put where / how to set up the environment - on Windows: how to create a new test-script / where to put it - on Windows: how to get all those checksums - on Windows: how to properly test-run/debug the new script - on Linux+Wine: what files to put where / how to set up the environment - on Linux+Wine: how to test-run the new script previously created on Windows - where to upload/send finished test-scripts to
Thanks!
Sam
PS: When will there be a new WWN?
On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 4:13 PM, Sam S. smls75@gmail.com wrote:
Hello Wine team!
After reading the introduction to AppInstall at http://www.winehq.org/wwn/360, I decided to try and write some additional application tests for it. There are at least two freely downloadable win32 apps that I run with Wine, that have in the past (in my experience) been quite sensitive to small improvements/regressions in certain areas of wine (gecko engine and opengl, namely), so having them automatically tested daily could be useful...
Unfortunately, however, the wiki page (http://wiki.winehq.org/Appinstall) doesn't really provide a guide for how to go about doing this... It explains the text that will need to be put in the actual test script (which I could have also figured out by looking at the well-documented example scripts), but almost nothing about how you need to set up your working environment, what files to put where, which commands to call, etc, for the purpose of writing/testing a new AppInstall script from scratch.
I wrote Appinstall, as well as the documentation. While I agree it could be made more useful, it had the usual problem of the developer and users not communicating enough. I sent drafts of the documentation to wine-users and wine-devel, but received few comments on what to change/clarify/add. I'll work on the wiki in a bit, and the documentation on winezeug itself. It would be even better if you could e-mail me off list and point out what needs work. Or rewrite it to be clearer, from a user's perspective ;-).
In absence of such a guide, I just downloaded the whole http://winezeug.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/appinstall directory, copied it into a Windows XP environment (because according to the WWN article, you're supposed to write the tests on Windows), and started by duplicating one of the example files. However, when I open a Command Prompt window and try to run one of the .ahk files with AutoHotKey, nothing really happens - all I see is some additional Command Prompt windows popping up for a split second and disappearing again, and then the command returns - nothing downloaded, no output, no error messages, nothing. (Btw, I don't even understand where the dowloads specified in the scripts are supposed to end up...)
Which script did you run? Most activity is logged to the log file (%APPINSTALL%\testname-result.txt=C:\appinstall\testname-result.txt), not stdout. Those command prompts opening and closing are most likely sha1sum's being calculated for installed files.
How am I supposed to do this?
The downloads, as well as log files, go to C:\appinstall, by default. This is explained on the wiki.
More generally: Could someone who knows how to do this maybe put up a step-by-step guide for users who want to contibute by writing new AppInstall tests, with no prior knowledge? Possibly something along the lines of:
- what/how do download
Not sure exactly what you mean here. The wiki explains you need the Appinstaller files, and your program's installer/executable.
- on Windows: what files to put where / how to set up the environment
This should be clearer, but most of it is documented either on the wiki/by reading the examples.
- on Windows: how to create a new test-script / where to put it
The test script can be anywhere, as long as the two include files are in the same directory. Should be clearer.
- on Windows: how to get all those checksums
There's not an easy way on windows, without installing cygwin. This is explained in the wiki.
- on Windows: how to properly test-run/debug the new script
By running it a few times and making sure nothing fails ;-).
- on Linux+Wine: what files to put where / how to set up the environment
Same as windows. Doesn't matter, as long as yourtest.ahk, init_test and helper_functions are all in the same directory.
- on Linux+Wine: how to test-run the new script previously created on Windows
To test it, use: $ wine /path/to/autohotkey.exe yourtest.ahk
and examine the log in: $HOME/.wine/drive_c/appinstall/your_test-result.txt
- where to upload/send finished test-scripts to
It's in the README on winezeug, but send them to me. If the repository is moved to winehq, the process may change...
Most of this is covered/explained, but like I said, the problem is no one reviewed the material, and I wrote Appinstall so I needed little explanation. If someone would volunteer to help with the documentation (by proofing it, making sure I didn't leave steps out, etc.), it would help greatly. E-mail me off list if anyone wants to help with this.
Hi Austin,
thank you for your reply. I'll give it another try.
Btw, I do realise that some questions of the step-by-step list I gave at the end are already (at least partially) answered in various places - this was intended more as an outline of how a step-by-step guide useful to users with no prior experience could be added to the wiki page. Your answeres already made the process much clearer to me...
One thing though:
- on Windows: how to properly test-run/debug the new script
By running it a few times and making sure nothing fails ;-).
So you need to run
..\tools\autohotkey\autohotkey.exe testname.ahk
and then check
C:\appinstall\testname-result.txt
correct?
- on Windows: how to get all those checksums
There's not an easy way on windows, without installing cygwin. This is explained in the wiki.
It explains it for Linux, I was hoping there would be a way to get the checksums of the files generated on Windows, without copying them to Linux first... Well, too bad...
If someone would volunteer to help with the documentation (by proofing it, making sure I didn't leave steps out, etc.), it would help greatly.
If I manage to get it working now, maybe I can help with the documantation (by providing a user's perspective)... In any case, having a step-by-step howto of the actual process (as outlined in my first email) would already be a great improvement compared to having to collect the various bits of information from all over...
One more thing: There should probably be a link to the AppInstall wiki page at http://www.winehq.org/contributing and maybe other places... (right now, it seems to be linked to only from the archived WWN article, which makes it not so easy to discover for users...)
On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 9:12 AM, Sam S. smls75@gmail.com wrote:
Hi Austin,
thank you for your reply. I'll give it another try.
Btw, I do realise that some questions of the step-by-step list I gave at the end are already (at least partially) answered in various places
- this was intended more as an outline of how a step-by-step guide
useful to users with no prior experience could be added to the wiki page. Your answeres already made the process much clearer to me...
One thing though:
- on Windows: how to properly test-run/debug the new script
By running it a few times and making sure nothing fails ;-).
So you need to run
..\tools\autohotkey\autohotkey.exe testname.ahk
and then check
C:\appinstall\testname-result.txt
correct?
Right. Or you can install AutoHotKey and just double click testname.ahk.
- on Windows: how to get all those checksums
There's not an easy way on windows, without installing cygwin. This is explained in the wiki.
It explains it for Linux, I was hoping there would be a way to get the checksums of the files generated on Windows, without copying them to Linux first... Well, too bad...
If windows supported proper scripting and bundling sha1sum.exe, it would be easier ;-).
If someone would volunteer to help with the documentation (by proofing it, making sure I didn't leave steps out, etc.), it would help greatly.
If I manage to get it working now, maybe I can help with the documantation (by providing a user's perspective)... In any case, having a step-by-step howto of the actual process (as outlined in my first email) would already be a great improvement compared to having to collect the various bits of information from all over...
Feel free to e-mail me for help in writing a test (off list).
One more thing: There should probably be a link to the AppInstall wiki page at http://www.winehq.org/contributing and maybe other places... (right now, it seems to be linked to only from the archived WWN article, which makes it not so easy to discover for users...)
Good idea.
-
Austin English -
Sam S.