This chapter provides an overview of the principles that apply
generally to all Technology Compatibility Kits (TCKs) and describes the
Jakarta Faces TCK (Faces 4.0 TCK).
It also includes a high level listing
of what is needed to get up and running with the Faces
TCK.
This chapter includes the following topics:
1.1 Compatibility Testing
Compatibility testing differs from traditional product testing in a
number of ways. The focus of compatibility testing is to test those
features and areas of an implementation that are likely to differ across
other implementations, such as those features that:
Compatibility test development for a given feature relies on a complete
specification and compatible implementation (CI) for that feature.
Compatibility testing is not primarily concerned with robustness,
performance, nor ease of use.
1.1.1 Why Compatibility Testing is Important
Jakarta platform compatibility is important to different groups involved
with Jakarta technologies for different reasons:
-
Compatibility testing ensures that the Jakarta platform does not become
fragmented as it is ported to different operating systems and hardware
environments.
-
Compatibility testing benefits developers working in the Jakarta
programming language, allowing them to write applications once and then
to deploy them across heterogeneous computing environments without
porting.
-
Compatibility testing allows application users to obtain applications
from disparate sources and deploy them with confidence.
-
Conformance testing benefits Jakarta platform implementors by ensuring a
level playing field for all Jakarta platform ports.
1.1.2 TCK Compatibility Rules
Compatibility criteria for all technology implementations are embodied
in the TCK Compatibility Rules that apply to a specified technology.
Each TCK tests for adherence to these Rules as described in
Chapter 2, "Procedure for Certification."
1.1.3 TCK Overview
A TCK is a set of tools and tests used to verify that a vendor’s compatible
implementation of a Jakarta EE technology conforms to the applicable
specification. All tests in the TCK are based on the written
specifications for the Jakarta EE platform. A TCK tests compatibility of a
vendor’s compatible implementation of the technology to the applicable
specification of the technology. Compatibility testing is a means of
ensuring correctness, completeness, and consistency across all
implementations developed by technology licensees.
The set of tests included with each TCK is called the test suite. Most
tests in a TCK’s test suite are self-checking, but some tests may
require tester interaction. Most tests return either a Pass or Fail
status. For a given platform to be certified, all of the required tests
must pass. The definition of required tests may change from platform to
platform.
The definition of required tests will change over time. Before your
final certification test pass, be sure to download the latest version
of this TCK.
1.1.4 Jakarta EE Specification Process (JESP) Program and Compatibility Testing
The Jakarta EE Specification Process (JESP) program is the formalization of the
open process that has been used since 2019 to develop and revise Jakarta EE
technology specifications in cooperation with the international Jakarta EE
community. The JESP program specifies that the following three major
components must be included as deliverables in a final Jakarta EE technology
release under the direction of the responsible Expert Group:
1.2 About the TCK
The Faces TCK 4.0 is designed as a
portable, configurable, automated test suite for verifying the
compatibility of a vendor’s implementation of the
Faces 4.0 Specification.
1.2.1 TCK Specifications and Requirements
This section lists the applicable requirements and specifications.
See the Faces TCK Release Notes for more specific
information about Java SE version requirements, supported platforms,
restrictions, and so on.
1.2.2 TCK Components
The Faces TCK 4.0 includes the
following components:
-
Faces TCK signature tests; check that all public APIs
are supported and/or defined as specified in the Faces
Version 4.0 implementation under test.
-
If applicable, an exclude list, which provides a list of tests that your
implementation is not required to pass.
-
API tests for all of the Faces API in all related packages:
-
jakarta.faces
-
jakarta.faces.application
-
jakarta.faces.bean
-
jakarta.faces.component
-
jakarta.faces.component.behavior
-
jakarta.faces.component.html
-
jakarta.faces.component.visit
-
jakarta.faces.context
-
jakarta.faces.convert
-
jakarta.faces.el
-
jakarta.faces.event
-
jakarta.faces.lifecycle
-
jakarta.faces.model
-
jakarta.faces.render
-
jakarta.faces.validator
-
jakarta.faces.view
-
jakarta.faces.view.facelets
-
jakarta.faces.webapp
The Faces TCK tests run on the following platforms:
1.2.3 TCK Compatibility Test Suite
The test suite is the collection of tests
to test a particular technology implementation. In this case, it is the
collection of JUnit tests used by the Faces TCK
4.0 to test a Faces 4.0
implementation. The tests are designed to verify that a vendor’s
runtime implementation of the technology complies with the appropriate
specification. The individual tests correspond to assertions of the
specification.
The tests that make up the TCK compatibility test suite are precompiled
and indexed within the TCK jar directory structure.
1.2.4 Exclude Lists
Each version of a TCK includes an Exclude List contained in a TCK-Exclude-List.txt
file.
This is a list of test file URLs that identify tests which do not
have to be run for the specific version of the TCK being used.
Whenever tests are run, the Junit framework automatically excludes
these tests from being executed as those are disabled using @Disabled tag in JUnit.
A vendor’s compatible implementation is not required to pass or run any test on the Exclude List.
The Exclude List file, docs/TCK-Exclude-List.txt
, is documented in the
Faces TCK. Please note this file is not parsed to exclude any test and is only
for documentation purpose.
Note
|
From time to time, updates to the Exclude List are made available.
The exclude list is included in the TCK ZIP archive.
Each time an update is approved and released, the version number
will be incremented.
You should always make sure you are using an up-to-date copy of the
Exclude List before running the Faces TCK to verify your
implementation.
|
A test might be in the Exclude List for reasons such as:
-
An error in an underlying implementation API has been discovered which
does not allow the test to execute properly.
-
An error in the specification that was used as the basis of the test
has been discovered.
-
An error in the test itself has been discovered.
-
The test fails due to a bug in the tools used to run the test.
In addition, all tests are run against the compatible implementations.
Any tests that fail when run on a compatible Jakarta platform are put on the
Exclude List. Any test that is not specification-based, or for which the
specification is vague, may be excluded. Any test that is found to be
implementation dependent (based on a particular thread scheduling model,
based on a particular file system behavior, and so on) may be excluded.
1.2.5 TCK Configuration
Note
|
The Jakarta EE Specification Process support multiple compatible implementations.
These instructions explain how to get started with the Eclipse Mojarra 4.0 CI.
If you are using another compatible implementation, refer to material provided
by that implementation for specific instructions and procedures.
|
1.3 Getting Started With the TCK
This section provides an general overview of what needs to be done to
install, set up, test, and use the Faces TCK. These
steps are explained in more detail in subsequent chapters of this
guide.
-
Make sure that the following software has been correctly installed
on the system:
-
Jakarta EE 10.0 CI such as Eclipse Mojarra 4.0, or Eclipse GlassFish 7.0, or, at a minimum, a Web server
with a Servlet container
-
Java SE 11
-
A CI for Faces 4.0. One example is Eclipse Mojarra 4.0.
-
Faces TCK version 4.0
-
The Faces 4.0 Vendor Implementation (VI)
See the documentation for each of these software applications for
installation instructions. See Chapter 3,
"Installation," for instructions on installing the Faces TCK.
-
Set up the Faces TCK software.
See Chapter 4, "Setup and Configuration," for
details about the following steps.
-
Set up your shell environment.
-
Set the required System properties.
-
Test the Faces 4.0 implementation.
Test the Faces implementation installation by running
the test suite. See Chapter 5, "Executing Tests."