testing-internals

Testing & Quality

Internals of tests.cmd execution flow, test discovery, and troubleshooting. Use when debugging test discovery issues or understanding the test runner.

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Test Execution Internals

This document explains tests.cmd internals and helps troubleshoot test execution issues.

Overview

The test execution chain:

tests.cmd → Bazel → IdeaUltimateRunTestsBuildTarget → TestingTasksImpl → JUnit 5

Key components:

tests.cmd: Shell script that invokes Bazel with test parameters
Bazel target: //build:local_idea_ultimate_run_tests_build_target
TestingOptions: Parses -Dintellij.build.test.* system properties
TestingTasksImpl: Orchestrates classpath assembly and JVM setup
JUnit runners: Execute tests in a forked JVM process

Common Issues & Solutions

Tests Not Found

Symptoms:

"No tests found" message
Test class exists but isn't executed

Causes & Solutions:

Pattern mismatch - Simple class names don't work (see Pattern Matching below):

# WRONG - simple name won't match FQN
-Dintellij.build.test.patterns=MyTest

# CORRECT - use wildcard or FQN
-Dintellij.build.test.patterns=*MyTest
-Dintellij.build.test.patterns=com.example.MyTest

Test not in classpath - The test class must be in a module that's part of the test classpath. Check if the module is included in the build.
Test class not recognized - Ensure class name ends with Test or has JUnit annotations.

OutOfMemoryError

Solution: Increase heap size:

./tests.cmd \
  --module <module> \
  --test MyTest \
  -Dintellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options=-Xmx8g

Bazel Build Fails

Symptoms:

Build errors before tests run
Missing dependencies

Solutions:

Check module dependencies - Ensure test module has required dependencies in .iml file.
Verify BUILD.bazel is synced - Run ./build/jpsModelToBazel.cmd after changing .iml files.

Note: Bazel incremental builds are always correct. Do not use bazel clean - it won't help.

Test Discovery Issues

Symptoms:

Wrong tests executed
Tests filtered unexpectedly

Debug steps:

Check test groups - If using groups, verify testGroups.properties configuration.

Check bucketing - For parallel execution, tests are distributed by hash:

# See which bucket a test falls into
-Didea.test.runners.count=4
-Didea.test.runner.index=0  # Run only bucket 0

Check class filters - TestCaseLoader applies pattern matching before test execution.

Debug Mode

Enable debug mode to attach a debugger:

./tests.cmd \
  --module <module> \
  --test MyTest \
  -Dintellij.build.test.debug.enabled=true \
  -Dintellij.build.test.debug.port=5005 \
  -Dintellij.build.test.debug.suspend=true

Then attach debugger to port 5005.

Quick Reference

Property	Purpose
`intellij.build.test.patterns`	Test class patterns (semicolon-separated)
`intellij.build.test.groups`	Test groups to run
`intellij.build.test.attempt.count`	Retry count for flaky tests
`intellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options`	JVM memory settings
`intellij.build.test.debug.enabled`	Enable remote debugging

Detailed Reference

Execution Flow Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. COMMAND LINE                                                            │
│     ./tests.cmd --module <module> --test MyTest                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  2. SHELL SCRIPT                                                            │
│     tests.cmd → community/build/run_build_target.sh                         │
│     Maps --module/--test to -D properties, wraps as --jvm_flag=<arg>        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  3. BAZEL                                                                   │
│     bazel run //build:local_idea_ultimate_run_tests_build_target            │
│     (defined in build/BUILD.bazel)                                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  4. BUILD TARGET ENTRY POINT                                                │
│     IdeaUltimateRunTestsBuildTarget.main()                                  │
│     → UltimateProjectTestingTasks.runTests()                                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  5. TEST OPTIONS PARSING                                                    │
│     UltimateProjectTestingOptions (extends TestingOptions)                  │
│     Reads all -Dintellij.build.test.* system properties                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  6. TEST EXECUTION ORCHESTRATION                                            │
│     TestingTasksImpl.runTests()                                             │
│     - Builds test classpath                                                 │
│     - Prepares JVM arguments and system properties                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  7. FORKED TEST PROCESS                                                     │
│     TestingTasksImpl.runJUnit5Engine()                                      │
│     Spawns new JVM with bootstrap classpath                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                    ┌───────────────┴───────────────┐
                    ▼                               ▼
┌───────────────────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│  8a. JUNIT 5 TESTS                │ │  8b. JUNIT 3/4 TESTS (Legacy)         │
│  JUnit5TeamCityRunner.main()      │ │  JUnit5TeamCityRunner.main()          │
│  - Uses JUnit Platform Launcher   │ │  - Uses JUnit Platform Launcher       │
│  - ClassNameFilter                │ │  - ClassNameFilter                    │
│  - PostDiscoveryFilter            │ │  - PostDiscoveryFilter                │
└───────────────────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────────────────────┘
                    │                               │
                    └───────────────┬───────────────┘
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  9. TEST DISCOVERY & FILTERING                                              │
│     TestCaseLoader                                                          │
│     - Loads test classes from classpath roots                               │
│     - Applies pattern/group filters                                         │
│     - Handles bucketing for parallel execution                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  10. TEST EXECUTION                                                         │
│      JUnit Platform executes tests                                          │
│      TCExecutionListener reports results to TeamCity                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Classes Reference

Entry Points & Orchestration

Class	Purpose
`IdeaUltimateRunTestsBuildTarget`	Ultimate tests entry point, calls `UltimateProjectTestingTasks`
`CommunityRunTestsBuildTarget`	Community tests entry point, calls `TestingTasks`
`UltimateProjectTestingTasks`	Ultimate-specific test orchestration (YourKit, network restrictions)
`TestingTasks`	Interface for test execution
`TestingTasksImpl`	Core test execution logic

Test Options

Class	Purpose
`TestingOptions`	Base class for all test options. Parses `-Dintellij.build.test.*` properties
`UltimateProjectTestingOptions`	Ultimate-specific options (YourKit, skip community tests)

JUnit 5 Test Runners

Class	Purpose
`JUnit5TeamCityRunner`	Runs JUnit 3/4 tests using the JUnit Vintage test engine, or JUnit5 tests using the JUnit Jupiter test engine
`TCExecutionListener`	Reports test results to TeamCity via service messages

Test Discovery & Loading

Class	Purpose
`TestCaseLoader`	Discovers and filters test classes
`TestAll`	JUnit 3 test suite, collects all tests
`TestClassesFilter`	Pattern/group-based test filtering

Bucketing & Distribution

Class	Purpose
`BucketingScheme`	Interface for test distribution
`HashingBucketingScheme`	Default: hash-based distribution
`TestsDurationBucketingScheme`	Duration-aware distribution

Test Module Hierarchy

Entry Points by Product

Product	Entry Point	Default mainModule	Source
IDEA Ultimate	`IdeaUltimateRunTestsBuildTarget`	`intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main`	`build/src/`
Community	`CommunityRunTestsBuildTarget`	`intellij.idea.community.main.tests`	`community/build/src/`
RustRover	`RustRoverRunTestsBuildTarget`	`intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main`	`rustrover/build/src/`
RubyMine	`RubyRunTestsBuildTarget`	`intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main`	`ruby/build/src/`
CLion	`CLionRunTestsBuildTarget`	`intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main`	`CIDR/clion-build/src/`

Note: Product entry points (RustRover, RubyMine, CLion) inherit intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main as the default, but to run product-specific tests, use the dedicated test module via --module. See TESTING.md for the correct module per product.

CI-Defined Test Modules

From intellij-teamcity-config/.teamcity/src/ijplatform/KnownModules.kt:

CI Constant	Module Name
`ULTIMATE_TESTS`	`intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main`
`COMMUNITY_MAIN`	`intellij.idea.community.main.tests`
`GOLAND_TESTS`	`intellij.goland.tests`
`PYTHON_TESTS`	`intellij.python.tests`
`PHPSTORM_MAIN`	`intellij.phpstorm.main.tests`
`CLION_MAIN`	`intellij.clion.main.tests`
`RUSTROVER_MAIN`	`intellij.rustrover.main.tests`
`KOTLIN_TESTS`	`intellij.kotlin.tests`
`KOTLIN_ULTIMATE_ALL_TESTS`	`intellij.kotlin-ultimate.all-tests`
`DATABASE_TESTS`	`intellij.database.tests`
`DATABASE_SQL_TESTS`	`intellij.database.sql.tests`

Module Configuration

Default mainModule is set in:

UltimateProjectTestingOptions.kt:36 - Ultimate: intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main
CommunityRunTestsBuildTarget.kt:28 - Community: intellij.idea.community.main.tests

Ultimate Test Module Tree (Simplified)

intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.main
├── intellij.idea.ultimate.tests
├── intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.kotlin
├── intellij.platform.tests
├── intellij.java.tests
└── ... (hundreds of test modules)

Separate hierarchies (NOT in .main):
├── intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.kotlin.k2
│   └── intellij.devkit.kotlin.fir.tests
├── intellij.idea.ultimate.tests.devBuildTests
└── intellij.kotlin.tests

TestingOptions Properties

Most options use the intellij.build.test.* prefix. Bucketing uses idea.test.* prefix.

// Test selection (mutually exclusive, in priority order)
testConfigurations  // -Dintellij.build.test.configurations=<config>
testPatterns        // -Dintellij.build.test.patterns=<pattern>
testGroups          // -Dintellij.build.test.groups=<group>

// Test execution
mainModule          // -Dintellij.build.test.main.module=<module>
attemptCount        // -Dintellij.build.test.attempt.count=<n>

// JVM configuration
jvmMemoryOptions    // -Dintellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options=<opts>
customRuntimePath   // -Dintellij.build.test.jre=<path>

// Debugging
isDebugEnabled      // -Dintellij.build.test.debug.enabled=<bool>
debugPort           // -Dintellij.build.test.debug.port=<port>
isSuspendDebugProcess // -Dintellij.build.test.debug.suspend=<bool>

// Bucketing (parallel execution) - NOTE: uses idea.test.* prefix
bucketsCount        // -Didea.test.runners.count=<n>
bucketIndex         // -Didea.test.runner.index=<n>

// Coverage
enableCoverage      // -Dintellij.build.test.coverage.enabled=<bool>
coveredClassesPatterns // -Dintellij.build.test.coverage.include.class.patterns=<patterns>

Bazel Target Configuration

The test target is defined in build/BUILD.bazel:

java_binary(
  name = "local_idea_ultimate_run_tests_build_target",
  runtime_deps = [":build"],
  main_class = "IdeaUltimateRunTestsBuildTarget",
  data = ALL_ULTIMATE_TARGETS + [BAZEL_TARGETS_JSON_ULTIMATE],
  jvm_flags = [
    "-Dintellij.build.console.exporter.to.temp.file=true",
    "-Dintellij.build.console.messages.verbose=false",
    "-Dintellij.build.clean.output.root=false",      # Reuse compiled classes
    "-Dintellij.build.use.compiled.classes=true",    # Skip recompilation
    "-Dintellij.build.bazel.targets.json.file=$(rlocationpath %s)" % BAZEL_TARGETS_JSON_ULTIMATE,
  ],
  add_opens = INTELLIJ_ADD_OPENS,
)

Test Process JVM Configuration

TestingTasksImpl.prepareEnvForTestRun() configures the forked test JVM:

// Key system properties set for test process:
"idea.home.path"     → projectHome
"idea.config.path"   → tempDir/config
"idea.system.path"   → tempDir/system
"java.io.tmpdir"     → tempDir

// JVM options:
"-XX:+HeapDumpOnOutOfMemoryError"
"-XX:HeapDumpPath=<snapshotsDir>/intellij-tests-oom-<timestamp>.hprof"
"-Xms750m -Xmx1024m"  // or custom from jvmMemoryOptions
// Plus --add-opens for module access

Passing JVM Args to Test Process

There are two mechanisms for passing JVM arguments to the test JVM process:

1. Memory Options (`intellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options`)

For JVM memory settings like heap size, use the dedicated property:

./tests.cmd --module <module> --test <pattern> -Dintellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options="-Xmx4g -Xms2g"

Multiple options are space-separated within quotes. These options are added to the beginning of the JVM arguments via VmOptionsGenerator.generate().

Implementation (see TestingTasksImpl.kt, runJUnit5Engine method):

val customMemoryOptions = options.jvmMemoryOptions?.trim()?.split(Regex("\\s+"))?.takeIf { it.isNotEmpty() }
jvmArgs.addAll(
  index = 0,
  elements = VmOptionsGenerator.generate(
    customVmMemoryOptions = if (customMemoryOptions == null) mapOf("-Xms" to "750m", "-Xmx" to "1024m") else emptyMap(),
    additionalVmOptions = customMemoryOptions ?: emptyList(),
    // ... other parameters omitted
  ),
)

2. Pass-through System Properties (`pass.*` prefix)

To pass arbitrary system properties to the test JVM, use the pass. prefix. The prefix is stripped before passing to the test process:

./tests.cmd --module <module> --test <pattern> -Dpass.my.custom.property=value -Dpass.some.flag=true

Results in test JVM receiving:

-Dmy.custom.property=value
-Dsome.flag=true

Implementation (see TestingTasksImpl.kt, prepareEnvForTestRun method):

for ((key, value) in System.getProperties()) {
  key as String
  if (key.startsWith("pass.")) {
    systemProperties.put(key.substring("pass.".length), value as String)
  }
}

This is a TeamCity convention for passing properties to nested processes.

Combined Example

./tests.cmd \
  --module <module> \
  --test MyTest \
  -Dintellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options="-Xmx4g" \
  -Dpass.my.test.flag=enabled \
  -Dpass.debug.level=verbose

Important: Properties without pass. prefix are consumed by the build scripts, NOT passed to the test JVM.

Test Discovery Flow

Step-by-Step Pattern Matching

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PATTERN INPUT                                                              │
│  -Dintellij.build.test.patterns=*MyTest                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PATTERN COMPILATION (TestClassesFilter.compilePattern)                     │
│  filter.replace("
quot;,"\\quot;).replace(".","\\.");replace("*",".*")             │
│  "*MyTest" → ".*MyTest"                                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  CLASS DISCOVERY (ClassFinder)                                              │
│  Scans JARs for *Test.class files, extracts FQN:                            │
│  org/example/MyTest.class → "org.example.MyTest"                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PATTERN MATCHING (PatternListTestClassFilter.matches)                      │
│  pattern.matcher(className).matches()  ← FULL STRING MATCH                  │
│  ".*MyTest".matches("org.example.MyTest") → true                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Pattern Transformation Table

Input Pattern	Compiled Regex	Matches `org.example.MyTest`?
`MyTest`	`MyTest`	❌ NO (not full match)
`*MyTest`	`.*MyTest`	✅ YES
`org.example.MyTest`	`org\.example\.MyTest`	✅ YES
`org.example.*`	`org\.example\..*`	✅ YES
`*`	`.*`	✅ YES (matches all)

Key Implementation Details

Pattern Compilation (TestClassesFilter.compilePattern()):

filter = filter.replace("
quot;, "\\quot;).replace(".", "\\.").replace("*", ".*");
return Pattern.compile(filter);

Pattern Matching (PatternListTestClassFilter.matches()):
```
return ContainerUtil.exists(patterns, pattern -> pattern.matcher(className).matches());
```
- Uses matches() NOT find() - requires ENTIRE string to match
- className is ALWAYS the fully qualified name (FQN)
ClassNameFilter (JUnit 5) - Fast pre-filter on class names
- Calls TestCaseLoader.isClassNameIncluded(className)
- Applied to EVERY class in classpath (must be fast)
PostDiscoveryFilter (JUnit 5) - Post-discovery filter
- Calls TestCaseLoader.isClassIncluded(className)
- Checks bucketing (which runner should execute this test)
TestCaseLoader.fillTestCases() (JUnit 3/4) - Scans classpath roots
- Uses ClassFinder to find all *Test.class files
- Calls isPotentiallyTestCase() which calls filter's matches()
- Applies group-based filtering from testGroups.properties

Why Simple Class Names NEVER Work

Root Cause: Pattern.matches() requires the ENTIRE string to match.

// Pattern: "MyTest" → Regex: "MyTest"
// className: "org.example.MyTest"
"MyTest".matches("org.example.MyTest")  // Returns FALSE

// Pattern: "*MyTest" → Regex: ".*MyTest"
".*MyTest".matches("org.example.MyTest")  // Returns TRUE

This applies to ALL modules (default and non-default). Always use:

FQN: org.example.MyTest
Or wildcard: *MyTest

How to use this skill

Test Execution Internals

Overview

Common Issues & Solutions

Tests Not Found

OutOfMemoryError

Bazel Build Fails

Test Discovery Issues

Debug Mode

Quick Reference

Detailed Reference

Execution Flow Diagram

Key Classes Reference

Entry Points & Orchestration

Test Options

JUnit 5 Test Runners

Test Discovery & Loading

Bucketing & Distribution

Test Module Hierarchy

Entry Points by Product

CI-Defined Test Modules

Module Configuration

Ultimate Test Module Tree (Simplified)

TestingOptions Properties

TestingOptions Properties

Bazel Target Configuration

Test Process JVM Configuration

Passing JVM Args to Test Process

1. Memory Options (intellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options)

2. Pass-through System Properties (pass.* prefix)

Combined Example

Test Discovery Flow

Step-by-Step Pattern Matching

Pattern Transformation Table

Key Implementation Details

Why Simple Class Names NEVER Work

Related Documentation

1. Memory Options (`intellij.build.test.jvm.memory.options`)

2. Pass-through System Properties (`pass.*` prefix)