Bug#908915: Several tests fail (not skipped) without certain packages installed

[Josh Triplett <josh@joshtriplett.org>]

On Sun, Sep 16, 2018 at 06:47:00AM +0000, Niels Thykier wrote:
> Josh Triplett:
> > Package: lintian
> > Version: 2.5.103
> > Severity: normal
> > 
> > When trying to run the lintian testsuite, I got several test failures:
> > 
> > Failed tests (6)
> >     tests::binaries-missing-depends-on-numpy-abi
> >     tests::debhelper-dh-quilt-addon-but-quilt-source-format
> >     tests::debhelper-dh-quilt-addon-but-quilt-source-format-unrel
> >     tests::debhelper-dh-with-quilt
> >     tests::rules-including-deprecated-makefiles
> >     tests::rules-missing-targets-with-known-includes
> > 
> > Looking at the log, these seem to fail without certain packages
> > installed. I'm not sure if the bug is that those tests lack
> > Test-Depends, or in some cases if the tests shouldn't be trying to
> > build.
> > 
> > For example, rules-missing-targets-with-known-includes fails due to
> > missing /usr/share/javahelper/java-vars.mk:
> > 
> > [...]
> > 
> > And rules-including-deprecated-makefiles fails due to missing
> > /usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/simple-patchsys.mk:
> > 
> > [...]
> > 
> > Should these tests use Test-Depends, or for some of these tests should
> > lintian just build a source package and check that without trying to
> > build binary packages?
> > 
> > [...]
> Hi,
> 
> Both cdbs and javahelper are in the Build-Depends of lintian (marked
> with <!nocheck>).  Just to be sure, have you installed *all* the
> build-depends of lintian (including those marked with "<!nocheck>")?

I intentionally have not. The vast majority of those dependencies are
only present for a few targeted checks in the testsuite, and those
checks have appropriate Test-Depends. The six above were the only
cases I found that did not.

I'd be happy to supply a patch adding appropriate Test-Depends to the
above six tests; I just wanted to find out if there was a better
solution.