Re: [tap] Parse error vs failure

[Steffen Schwigon <[e-mail]>]

Michael G Schwern <[e-mail]> writes:
> "The color eight died" is a semantic error.  It is nonsense.  Eight
> is not a color and numbers don't die.
>
> You can have something which is syntactically correct but semantic
> nonsense, and there is still meaning in semantic nonsense.

The English comparison is a good idea.

The sentence might still be called lyrics or poetry. No one would try
to disallow this in the English language just for semantic reasons.

I wonder why we cannot model the SKIP semantics similar to #TODO. With
results like "is_actual_ok" to access the raw "ok/not ok" but
interpret the line as "ok" for the stats.


> TAP Version 14
> 1..3
> ok 1
> not ok 2 - no database # SKIP
>   ---
>   file: foo.t
>   line: 42
>   ...
> ok 3
>
> Now, what would you rather tell the user?  If it's just a syntax
> error, then all you get is:
>
>   Syntax error at TAP stream line 4.
>   Diagnostics without test at line 5.

That's why we all already agreed that we do not want it a syntax
error.


> But if you parse and understand it, you can use that information to say:
>
>   Nonsense failing skip test "no database" at foo.t line 42.
>
> pointing the user at the problem.  Isn't that better?

As I said, why not just "fix" the stats, similar to what #TODO does
and provide details via "is_actual_ok" and friends?


Kind regards,
Steffen 
-- 
Steffen Schwigon <[e-mail]>
Dresden Perl Mongers <http://dresden-pm.org/>
German Perl-Workshop 2009 <http://www.perl-workshop.de/en/2009>