Re: [PATCH] tests: improve readability

[Peter Stephenson <p.w.stephenson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> On 05/06/2026 06:43 BST dana <dana@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> mikael and i were talking about how the test output is not as readable
> as we'd like. this is my attempt at improving it:
> 
> - add blank line between each test script execution
> - colourise diffs
> - use fake file names to clarify what diffs mean
> - colourise test-script failure messages
> - colourise summary
> - add list of failing test scripts to summary
> 
> colours only show when appropriate
> 
> imo the blank lines help a lot when there's a failing test, but i can
> see how they might feel superfluous when they all pass
> 
> open to feedback

Thanks, I suspect (unless there's anyone who really objects)
this is probably one of those "commit and tweak" things, i.e.
once everyone's looking at it it's more likely to provoke useful
general feedback and given all the ways you can tweak visual
output there's no point trying to get it perfect at step 1.

One bane of my life in other tests systems is that files are full
of escape sequences because they don't take account of the difference between interactive and non-interactive contexts,
so I'm forever running my remove-escapes Emacs function, but from
what you say you might well have thought of that already.

cheers
pws