Oninit ifxtap / Informix unit testing
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Oninit® ifxTAP — Unit Testing for Informix®

ifxTAP is a unit-testing framework for IBM Informix 14.10 and later. Write tests in SQL and SPL, run assertions inside the database, and use a lightweight Java runner to produce Test Anything Protocol (TAP) results and an exit status for CI pipelines.

What you get

  • An SPL assertion library installed in your test database, including tap_ok, tap_is, tap_throws_ok and schema checks.
  • A JDBC command-line runner, ifxtap, that executes a directory of test files and produces TAP version 13 output.
  • Transaction-based isolation: each test file runs within a transaction that is rolled back on completion, removing transactional fixture data and supported DDL changes.
  • A non-zero exit code when an assertion fails, the test count differs from the plan, or a run does not complete.

What you can test

What you can test
AreaExamples
ValuesEquality, inequality, NULL values, and LIKE and MATCHES patterns
SchemaTables, views, indexes, triggers, routines, columns, data types, defaults and constraints
BehaviourStored procedures and functions, triggers activated by DML, and queries expected to return rows or no rows
ErrorsExpected SQLCODE or ISAM error codes, and statements expected to execute successfully

A test and its result

A test file is plain SQL. This one creates a function, calls it and checks what it returns. The runner wraps the file in a transaction and rolls it back, so nothing is left in the database.

EXECUTE PROCEDURE tap_plan(2);

CREATE FUNCTION add_interest(p_balance DECIMAL(10,2), p_pct INTEGER) RETURNING DECIMAL(10,2)
    RETURN p_balance + (p_balance * p_pct / 100);
END FUNCTION;

CREATE TABLE result (v DECIMAL(10,2));
INSERT INTO result SELECT add_interest(200, 10) FROM sysmaster:sysdual;

EXECUTE PROCEDURE tap_has_function('add_interest');
EXECUTE PROCEDURE tap_is((SELECT v FROM result), 220.00, '10% on 200 is 220');
EXECUTE PROCEDURE tap_finish();

The runner prints Test Anything Protocol output and exits non-zero if anything failed:

1..2
ok 1 - function add_interest should exist
ok 2 - 10% on 200 is 220

More complete tests, for schemas, routines, triggers, constraints, hooks and your own SPL, are on the Examples page. Testing stored procedures and functions has its own guide: Testing Your Own SPL.

Works with your CI

Run ifxtap as a step in Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions or any other pipeline: the exit status is 0 when every assertion passes and non-zero when one fails, so a failed assertion fails the build. The output is TAP 13, and a run of several files is one stream with a single plan, so a tool that reads TAP, such as prove, reads it as one run; see Runner and TAP Output.

Requirements

  • Informix 14.10 or later with a logged database.
  • Java 11 or later on the machine running the tests.
  • The IBM Informix JDBC driver, supplied separately.

Status: ifxTAP is pre-release. Questions, early access or a feature you need? Ask us about ifxTAP.