id	summary	reporter	owner	description	type	status	priority	milestone	component	version	resolution	keywords	cc	blockedby	blocking	branch_state	votes
3708	Usability problems with '--enable-tests' (configure.ac)	mooffie	zaytsev	"To enable tests, one has to pass `--enable-tests` to `configure`. But there are a few usability problems in this mechanism:

== When the programmer __doesn't__ pass `--enable-tests`: ==

In this case, the output on screen and the generated files falsely give the impression tests **were** enabled:

**(1)** The message ""checking for CHECK..."" appears.

**(2)** The makefiles under the 'tests' tree are generated, even though configure.ac has a conditional that's supposed to prevent this (i.e., `if test x$enable_tests != xno`).

== When the programmer __does__ pass `--enable-tests`: ==

**(3)** She doesn't have an easy way to know if tests were indeed successfully enabled. That's because error messages are very hard to spot, and because the test makefiles, because of **(2)**, are created unconditionally and therefore can't serve as indicator.

== Additionally: ==

**(4)** Instructions on how to enable the tests should appear where they're expected.

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**Are these usability problems grave?**

Yes! People are [https://www.midnight-commander.org/ticket/3449#comment:49 wasting time] trying to figure out these issues by themselves.

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The attached patch fixes these problems:

* Problems **(1)** and **(2)** are caused by comparing $enable_tests with ""no"". But $enable_tests usually contains empty string in this case, not ""no"". We fix this.

* We solve problem **(3)** by adding some text to the final summary message.

* We solve problem **(4)** by adding a README file, in the place where it's expected.
"	defect	closed	minor	4.8.19	tests	master	fixed					merged	committed-master