NAME Test::Valgrind - Generate suppressions, analyse and test any command with valgrind. VERSION Version 1.02 SYNOPSIS # From the command-line perl -MTest::Valgrind leaky.pl # From the command-line, snippet style perl -MTest::Valgrind -e 'leaky()' # In a test file use Test::More; eval 'use Test::Valgrind'; plan skip_all => 'Test::Valgrind is required to test your distribution with valgrind' if $@; leaky(); # In all the test files of a directory prove --exec 'perl -Iblib/lib -Iblib/arch -MTest::Valgrind' t/*.t DESCRIPTION This module is a front-end to the "Test::Valgrind::*" API that lets you run Perl code through the "memcheck" tool of the "valgrind" memory debugger, to test it for memory errors and leaks. If they aren't available yet, it will first generate suppressions for the current "perl" interpreter and store them in the portable flavour of ~/.perl/Test-Valgrind/suppressions/$VERSION. The actual run will then take place, and tests will be passed or failed according to the result of the analysis. The complete API is much more versatile than this. It allows you to run *any* executable under valgrind, generate the corresponding suppressions and convert the analysis output to TAP so that it can be incorporated into your project's testsuite. Due to the nature of perl's memory allocator, this module can't track leaks of Perl objects. This includes non-mortalized scalars and memory cycles. However, it can track leaks of chunks of memory allocated in XS extensions with "Newx" and friends or "malloc". As such, it's complementary to the other very good leak detectors listed in the "SEE ALSO" section. METHODS "analyse [ %options ]" Run a "valgrind" analysis configured by %options : * "command => $command" The Test::Valgrind::Command object (or class name) to use. Defaults to Test::Valgrind::Command::PerlScript. * "tool => $tool" The Test::Valgrind::Tool object (or class name) to use. Defaults to Test::Valgrind::Tool::memcheck. * "action => $action" The Test::Valgrind::Action object (or class name) to use. Defaults to Test::Valgrind::Action::Test. * "file => $file" The file name of the script to analyse. Ignored if you supply your own custom "command", but mandatory otherwise. * "callers => $number" Specify the maximum stack depth studied when valgrind encounters an error. Raising this number improves granularity. Ignored if you supply your own custom "tool", otherwise defaults to 12. * "diag => $bool" If true, print the output of the test script as diagnostics. Ignored if you supply your own custom "action", otherwise defaults to false. * "extra_supps => \@files" Also use suppressions from @files besides "perl"'s. Defaults to empty. * "no_def_supp => $bool" If true, do not use the default suppression file. Defaults to false. "import [ %options ]" In the parent process, "import" calls "analyse" with the arguments it received itself - except that if no "file" option was supplied, it tries to pick the first caller context that looks like a script. When the analyse ends, it exits with the status that was returned. In the child process, it just "return"s so that the calling code is actually run under "valgrind". VARIABLES $dl_unload When set to true, all dynamic extensions that were loaded during the analysis will be unloaded at "END" time by "dl_unload_file" in DynaLoader. Since this obfuscates error stack traces, it's disabled by default. CAVEATS Perl 5.8 is notorious for leaking like there's no tomorrow, so the suppressions are very likely not to be very accurate on it. Anyhow, results will most likely be better if your perl is built with debugging enabled. Using the latest "valgrind" available will also help. This module is not really secure. It's definitely not taint safe. That shouldn't be a problem for test files. What your tests output to "STDOUT" and "STDERR" is eaten unless you pass the "diag" option, in which case it will be reprinted as diagnostics. DEPENDENCIES Valgrind 3.1.0 (). XML::Twig, version, File::HomeDir, Env::Sanctify, Perl::Destruct::Level. SEE ALSO All the "Test::Valgrind::*" API, including Test::Valgrind::Command, Test::Valgrind::Tool, Test::Valgrind::Action and Test::Valgrind::Session. Test::LeakTrace. Devel::Leak, Devel::LeakTrace, Devel::LeakTrace::Fast. AUTHOR Vincent Pit, "", . You can contact me by mail or on "irc.perl.org" (vincent). BUGS Please report any bugs or feature requests to "bug-test-valgrind at rt.cpan.org", or through the web interface at . I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes. SUPPORT You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command. perldoc Test::Valgrind ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Rafaƫl Garcia-Suarez, for writing and instructing me about the existence of Perl::Destruct::Level (Elizabeth Mattijsen is a close second). H.Merijn Brand, for daring to test this thing. All you people that showed interest in this module, which motivated me into completely rewriting it. COPYRIGHT & LICENSE Copyright 2008-2009 Vincent Pit, all rights reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.