How to test a finalized application built by terminal.gui

[ZerNox]

Lets consider that we have built the an installer using Terminal.Gui and want to test, and we want to test it in an automated way.
We have previously used a simple expect sequence to go through the options in a bash script and verify in the backend.
Expect does not seem to work for Terminal.Gui or do you need to do something special to get it to work?
Or how can this be achieved any advice's or examples where there are tests wrt sequence to go through the options in a bash script and verify in the backend.
Expect does not seem to work for Terminal.Gui or do you need to do something special to get it to work?
Or how can this be achieved any advice's or examples where there are tests written?
itten?

[tznind]

Are you using v2 or v1? Here is an example of an automation style test for FileDialog in which Application.Driver.SendKeys is used.

Terminal.Gui/UnitTests/FileServices/FileDialogTests.cs

Lines 32 to 57 in 9365951

	public void DirectTyping_Allowed ()
	{
	var dlg = GetInitializedFileDialog ();
	var tf = dlg.Subviews.OfType<TextField> ().First (t => t.HasFocus);
	tf.ClearAllSelection ();
	tf.CursorPosition = tf.Text.Length;
	Assert.True (tf.HasFocus);
	SendSlash ();
	Assert.Equal (
	new DirectoryInfo (Environment.CurrentDirectory + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar).FullName,
	new DirectoryInfo (dlg.Path + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar).FullName
	);
	// continue typing the rest of the path
	Send ("bob");
	Send ('.', ConsoleKey.OemPeriod, false);
	Send ("csv");
	Assert.True (dlg.Canceled);
	Send ('\n', ConsoleKey.Enter, false);
	Assert.False (dlg.Canceled);
	Assert.Equal ("bob.csv", Path.GetFileName (dlg.Path));
	}

We have previously used a simple expect sequence to go through the options in a bash script and verify in the backend.
Expect does not seem to work for Terminal.Gui or do you need to do something special to get it to work?

Is the goal that you treat the app as a 'black box' and have a pre defined series of keypresses/clicks you want executed at a given timings while it is running? Presumably after which you want to look at the environment or process output?

[ZerNox]

Thanks @tznind it seems like an acceptable approach but im really new in this field of testing. Do you recommend this way of doing it?

[tznind]

Yes, assuming you have the source code to the app and can create (or expand an existing) test project.

If you are wanting to test the app in a non development environment and only have access to the compiled binary then you would need some kind of external key automation tool.

What are you currently using for testing your shell scripts? Something like pexpect may still work with Terminal.Gui applications, I haven't tried.