QA

Overview

Dawn relies heavily on host-based execution for QA - the simulator and QEMU targets described in Host-based Development, combined with the Fake Devices. The pipeline below assumes those targets are available.

Dawn uses a layered testing strategy:

Coding standards enforcement - automated format checks and static analysis ensure consistent style before any code reaches the test stage.
Unit tests - each framework component is tested in isolation inside the NuttX simulator using the dawntest application. See Unit Tests.
NTFC integration tests - full-system scenarios are executed against a built firmware image running on a simulator or emulator target, verifying end-to-end protocol and program behaviour. See NTFC Integration Tests.

All three layers are integrated into one command (dawnpy-tests) and must pass before committing any change.

QA Runner

The single entry point for the full QA pipeline is the dawnpy-tests command provided by the dawnpy-tests extension package. It runs formatting, builds, unit tests, and NTFC integration tests in sequence.

For installation, command flags, pipeline steps, and required outcome, see dawnpy-tests in the dawnpy tool reference.

Prerequisites

Before running tests for the first time, initialize the test environment:

sh ./testenv_init.sh

This script configures test infrastructure required across all layers (virtual can0 interface, QEMU br0 + tap0, socat PTY bridge). Per-suite host requirements are listed in NTFC Integration Tests.

Static Analysis & Formatting

These checks run alongside the QA pipeline.

clang-format

All C and C++ sources are formatted with clang-format using the Mozilla style, configured in .clang-format at the repository root.

./tools/scripts/check-format.sh fix    # auto-fix all files
./tools/scripts/check-format.sh check  # check only, no changes

The dawnpy-tests pipeline runs the fix variant automatically as its first step.

cppcheck

cppcheck is used for static analysis beyond what the compiler reports.

./tools/scripts/cppcheck.sh

By default the wrapper reports actionable severities only. For exploratory style cleanup, override the enabled checks:

CPPCHECK_ENABLE=all ./tools/scripts/cppcheck.sh

If a previous interrupted run leaves stale cppcheck cache state, point the wrapper at a fresh build directory:

CPPCHECK_BUILD_DIR=/tmp/dawn-cppcheck-build ./tools/scripts/cppcheck.sh

Currently a standalone step, not integrated into the dawnpy-tests pipeline. Integration is planned for a future release.

clang-tidy

clang-tidy provides additional static analysis driven by the project .clang-tidy configuration. The wrapper script consumes compile_commands.json from an existing build directory (build_tests or build are auto-detected; override with BUILD_DIR=<path>):

./tools/scripts/clang-tidy.sh check                      # all files in compile DB
./tools/scripts/clang-tidy.sh check-file <path/to.cxx>   # single file

Initial implementation, run standalone like cppcheck and not yet integrated into the dawnpy-tests pipeline. Integration is planned for a future release.

QA