(I don't have Twitter so this is my tech community...
# generalb
bitter-ability-32190
08/08/2022, 12:48 AM(I don't have Twitter so this is my tech community)
How do people handle reviewing changes to a file-generator? Our engs have a file checked into git because it means they can review the changes made to the generator, but other than that there's no point.
bitter-ability-32190
08/08/2022, 12:49 AMMy first thought is a shadow-repo we use which holds onto the sample generated files by generating them on pushes to master.
Then it comments on PR if a PR makes changes that produces a different result.
🤔
e
enough-analyst-54434
08/08/2022, 12:51 AMA checked-in "golden file" is a thing. Seems fine for text files anyway. Is this code or data?
enough-analyst-54434
08/08/2022, 12:52 AMI have a feeling you're leaving off potentially relevant details. Is the file huge; so not palatable for version control? Is it binary?
b
bitter-ability-32190
08/08/2022, 12:53 AMNot code, text data. Not huge by git's standards.
We just have a lot lying around and it's awkward.
bitter-ability-32190
08/08/2022, 12:53 AMAlso it's funny, the team that owns it wants it in to review changes, but also wants to stop being notified of changes. But that's a different story 😂
e
enough-analyst-54434
08/08/2022, 12:54 AMI don't get the review aspect. I've only ever used golden files as part of automated tests. Any change, test fails.
enough-analyst-54434
08/08/2022, 12:55 AMI mean, you review the file if the test fails ... should the format change, etc. But you don't actively review it.
b
bitter-ability-32190
08/08/2022, 12:59 AMAh yeah that'd be a snapshot test. This isn't that
e
enough-analyst-54434
08/08/2022, 1:07 AMOk. This feels too I'll defined in my head to register as a problem or, if it is one, the solution. I'm sure others will have opinions.
h
happy-kitchen-89482
08/08/2022, 1:31 AMwouldn't you want to have a test that verifies the generator against the checked in file?
b
bitter-ability-32190
08/08/2022, 10:12 AMI think I'm seeing it how y'all are seeing it now, and I think I'm probably missing something
h
happy-kitchen-89482
08/08/2022, 2:52 PMI.e., human verifies that generated file makes sense, and test verifies that the generator does in fact produce that output
b
bitter-ability-32190
08/08/2022, 2:54 PMRight. I figured out where the disconnect is. This isn't for testing/verifying the generator. The "generator" and the generated file are actually litmus testing a set of classes which produce data of varying kinds.
Someone changes a class, or adds one, and then a script has us collecting a representative set of data from all the classes of the relevant type.
So really, it's something a bit... else
2 Views