path: root/INTERPRETING.md

# Interpreting Test262 Tests

All tests are declared as text files located within this project's `test`
directory. In order to execute Test262 tests, runtimes must observe the
following semantics.

**Note** When these instructions change in any substantive way, the `version`
property of the JSON-formatted `package.json` file will be incremented. In this
way, consumers who are transitioning between revisions of Test262 can more
easily determine the cause of new test failures.

## Test Execution

Test262 tests are only valid under the runtime environment conditions described
here. Test environments may be further modified according to the metadata
contained with each test--refer to the [Metadata](#metadata) section for more details.

### Realm Isolation

Each test must be executed in a new [ECMAScript
realm](https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-code-realms) dedicated to that test.
Unless configured otherwise (via the `module` flag), source text must be
interpreted as [global
code](https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-types-of-source-code).

### Test262-Defined Bindings

The contents of the following files must be evaluated in the test realm's
global scope prior to test execution:

1. `harness/assert.js`
2. `harness/sta.js`

### Host-Defined Functions

The following values must be defined as writable, configurable, non-enumerable
properties of the global scope prior to test execution.

- **`print`** A function that exposes the string value of its first argument to
  the test runner. This is used as a communication mechanism for asynchronous
  tests (via the `async` flag, described below).
- **`$262`** An ordinary object with the following properties:
  - **`createRealm`** - a function which creates a new [ECMAScript
    Realm](https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-code-realms),
    defines this API on the new realm's global object, and returns the `$262`
    property of the new realm's global object
  - **`detachArrayBuffer`** - a function which implements [the
    DetachArrayBuffer abstract
    operation](https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-detacharraybuffer)
  - **`evalScript`** - a function which accepts a string value as its first
    argument and executes is as [an ECMAScript
    script](https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-scripts) according to the
    following algorithm:

        1. Let hostDefined be any host-defined values for the provided
           sourceText (obtained in an implementation dependent manner)
        2. Let realm be the current Realm Record.
        3. Let s be ParseScript(sourceText, realm, hostDefined).
        4. If s is a List of errors, then
           a. Let error be the first element of s.
           b. Return
              Completion{[[Type]]: throw, [[Value]]: error, [[Target]]: empty}.
        5. Let status be ScriptEvaluation(s).
        6. Return Completion(status).

  - **`global`** - a reference to the global object on which `$262` was initially defined
  - **`IsHTMLDDA`** - (present only in implementations that can provide it) an
    object that 1) has an [[IsHTMLDDA]] internal slot, and 2) when called with
    no arguments or with the single argument `""` returns `null`.  Use this
    property to test that ECMAScript algorithms aren't mis-implemented to treat
    `document.all` as being `undefined` or of type Undefined (instead of
    Object).  (The peculiar second requirement permits testing algorithms when
    they also call `document.all` with such arguments, so that testing for
    correct behavior requires knowing how the call behaves.  This is rarely
    necessary.)  Tests using this function must be tagged with the `IsHTMLDDA`
    feature so that only hosts supporting this property will run them.
  - **`agent`** - an ordinary object with the following properties:
    - **`start`** - a function that takes a script source string and runs
      the script in a concurrent agent.  Will block until that agent is
      running.  The agent has no representation.  The agent script will be
      run in an environment that has an object `$262` with a property `agent`
      with the following properties:
      - **`receiveBroadcast`** - a function that takes a function and
        calls the function when it has received a broadcast from the parent,
        passing it the broadcast as two arguments, a SharedArrayBuffer and
        an Int32.  This function may return before a broadcast is received
        (eg to return to an event loop to await a message) and no code should
        follow the call to this function.
      - **`report`** - a function that takes a string and places it in a
        transmit queue whence the parent will retrieve it.  Messages
        should be short.
      - **`sleep`** - a function that takes a millisecond argument and
        sleeps the agent for approximately that duration.
      - **`leaving`** - a function that signals that the agent is done and
        may be terminated (if possible).
    - **`broadcast`** - a function that takes a SharedArrayBuffer and an Int32
        and broadcasts the two values to all concurrent agents.  The function
        blocks until all agents have retrieved the message.  Note, this assumes
        that all agents that were started are still running.
    - **`getReport`** - a function that reads an incoming string from any agent,
      and returns it if it exists, or returns `null` otherwise.
    - **`sleep`** - a function that takes a millisecond argument and
        sleeps the execution for approximately that duration.

### Strict Mode

Unless configured otherwise (via the `noStrict`, `onlyStrict`, `module`, or
`raw` flags), each test must be executed twice: once in ECMAScript's non-strict
mode, and again in ECMAScript's strict mode. To run in strict mode, the test
contents must be modified prior to execution--[a "use strict"
directive](https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-directive-prologues-and-the-use-strict-directive)
must be inserted as the initial character sequence of the file, followed by a
semicolon (`;`) and newline character (`\n`):

    "use strict";

This must precede any additional text modifications described by test metadata.

### Modules

Test262 includes tests for ECMAScript 2015 module code, denoted by the "module"
metadata flag. Files bearing a name ending in `_FIXTURE.js` should not be
interpreted as standalone tests; they are intended to be referenced by test
files.

All module specifiers used by Test262 begin with the character sequence `./`.
The remaining characters should be interpreted as the name of a file within the
same directory as the file under test. The contents of this file must be
interpreted as UTF-8-encoded text and supplied to the Source Text Module
Record's ParseModule abstract operation. The result of that operation must be
returned by the implementation-defined HostResolveImportedModule directly.

For example, consider a test file located at
`test/language/import/nested/index.js` with the following contents:

```js
import * as ns from './dep.js';
```

Implementers should attempt to resolve this module specifier by loading a file
located at `test/language/import/nested/dep.js`.

## Test Results

By default, tests signal failure by generating an uncaught exception. If
execution completes without generating an exception, the test must be
interpreted as "passing." Any uncaught exception must be interpreted as test
failure. These semantics may be modified by any test according to the metadata
declared within the test itself (via the `negative` attribute and the `async`
flag, described below).

## Metadata

Each test file may define metadata that describe additional requirements. This
information is delimited by the token sequence `/*---` and `---*/` and is
structured as [YAML](http://yaml.org/).

### `negative`

These tests are expected to generate an uncaught exception. The value of this
attribute is a YAML dictonary with two keys:

- `phase` - the stage of the test interpretation process that the error is
  expected to be produced; valid phases are: 
    - `parse`: occurs while parsing the source text.
    - `early`: occurs prior to evaluation.
    - `resolution`: occurs during module resolution.
    - `runtime`: occurs during evaluation.
- `type` - the name of the constructor of the expected error

If a test configured with the `negative` attribute completes without throwing
an exception, or if the name of the thrown exception's constructor does not
match the specified constructor name, or if the error occurs at a phase that
differs from the indicated phase, the test must be interpreted as "failing."

*Examples:*

```js
/*---
negative:
  phase: runtime
  type: ReferenceError
---*/
unresolvable;
```

```js
/*---
negative:
  phase: parse
  type: ReferenceError
---*/
throw "Test262: This statement should not be evaluated.";
'litera'=1;
```

```js
/*---
negative:
  phase: parse
  type: SyntaxError
---*/
throw "Test262: This statement should not be evaluated.";
var a\u2E2F;
```


```js
/*---
negative:
  phase: resolution
  type: ReferenceError
flags: [module]
---*/
throw "Test262: This statement should not be evaluated.";
export {} from './instn-resolve-empty-export_FIXTURE.js';
// instn-resolve-empty-export_FIXTURE.js contains only:
// 0++;
```



### `includes`

One or more files whose content must be evaluated in the test realm's global
scope prior to test execution. These files are located within the `harness/`
directory of the Test262 project.

*Example*

```js
/*---
includes: [propertyHelper.js]
---*/
verifyProperty(this, "Object", {
  value: Object,
  writable: true,
  enumerable: false,
  configurable: true,
});
```

### `flags`

The `flags` attribute is an optional value that specifies one or more of the
following strings:

- **`onlyStrict`** The test must be executed just once--in strict mode, only.
  This must be accomplished using the transformation described in the section
  titled "Strict Mode".

  *Example*

  ```js
  /*---
  flags: [onlyStrict]
  ---*/
  var thisVal = null;
  [null].forEach(function() {
    thisVal = this;
  });
  assert.sameValue(thisVal, undefined);
  ```

- **`noStrict`** The test must be executed just once--in non-strict mode, only.
  In other words, the transformation described by the section titled "Strict
  Mode" must **not** be applied to these tests.

  *Example*

  ```js
  /*---
  flags: [noStrict]
  ---*/
  var thisVal = null;
  [null].forEach(function() {
    thisVal = this;
  });
  assert.notSameValue(thisVal, undefined);
  assert.sameValue(thisVal, this);
  ```

- **`module`** The test source code must be interpreted as [module
  code](https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-types-of-source-code).
  In addition, this flag negates the default requirement to execute the test
  both in strict mode and in non-strict mode. In other words, the
  transformation described by the section titled "Strict Mode" must **not** be
  applied to these tests. Refer to the section titled "Modules" for more
  information on interpreting these tests.

  *Example*

  ```js
  /*---
  flags: [module]
  ---*/
  export default function* g() {}
  ```

- **`raw`** The test source code must not be modified in any way, and the test
  must be executed just once (in non-strict mode, only).

  *Example*

  ```js
  /*---
  flags: [raw]
  ---*/
  'use strict'
  [0]
  's'.p = null;
  ```

- **`async`** The file `harness/doneprintHandle.js` must be evaluated in the
  test realm's global scope prior to test execution. The test must not be
  considered complete until the implementation-defined `print` function has
  been invoked or some length of time has passed without any such invocation.
  In the event of a passing test run, this function will be invoked with the
  string `'Test262:AsyncTestComplete'`. If invoked with any other value, the
  test must be interpreted as failed. The implementation is free to select an
  appropriate length of time to wait before considering the test "timed out"
  and failing.

  *Example*

  ```js
  /*---
  flags: [async]
  ---*/
  Promise.resolve()
    .then(function() {
        print('Test262:AsyncTestComplete');
      }, function(reason) {
        print('Error: ' + reason);
      });
  ```

- **`generated`** The test file was created procedurally using the project's
  test generation tool. This flag is specified for informational purposes only
  and has no bearing on how the test should be interpreted.