Time Test Generator Reference

tool::test_data::TimeTestsTool generates date, time, duration, and conversion fixtures. See Generate Time Tests for the regeneration workflow.

Configuration and Options

The required [generate_time_tests] section has a text setting output_directory, defaulting to test/unittest/data/time. Its checked-in configuration is tool/conf/tools/generate_time_tests.elcl. --output-directory (-o) overrides the setting; --check (-c) compares without writing or creating directories. Paths must remain inside the project. Configuration, path types, and all eleven destination paths are validated before generation.

Independent Calendar and Durations

impl::CalendarDate, impl::CalendarTime, and impl::CalendarDateTime implement an independent proleptic Gregorian model over years 0 through 9999. They do not call the Core date and time operations whose behavior the fixtures test. Calculations handle leap years, month-end clamping, range boundaries, and day transitions explicitly. Extreme durations and conversions use exact integer arithmetic, including subtraction of the minimum signed 64-bit value.

Local FastRandom(seed) instances produce repeatable samples without changing global random state. The fixed seeds preserve reproducibility on a best-effort basis across Core versions. Explicit boundary cases and coverage categories remain fixed. Exhaustive calendar validation runs in a FullRun test rather than on every generator invocation.

Output and Rendering

The eleven tables cover date and datetime epochs, date manipulation, date distances, time since midnight, datetime duration addition, date/time/datetime comparisons, time-amount comparisons, and time-amount conversions. Each file contains a schema header defining its field order. The shared test_data/table.tpl template supplies notices, schema headers, and row iteration. Native code supplies structured render values and formats exact large integers as decimal strings.

All tables are prepared before publication. ProjectFiles::updateText() retains equivalent existing files and atomically replaces each changed file. An operating-system failure during publication can leave previously published files updated. See Framework Reference for comparison and path contracts and Rendering Configuration for notice configuration.

Verification

FixtureGeneratorsTest exercises explicit calendar boundaries, extreme durations, seeded repeatability, and command validation. Its exhaustive FullRun test validates every day in years 0 through 9999 and round trips the calendar’s epoch representation. See Run the tool tests.