---
name: "TAP::Formatter::Base"
section: "3p"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/TAP::Formatter::Base"
---

# TAP::Formatter::Base(3p)

Base class for harness output delegates

## NAME

TAP::Formatter::Base - Base class for harness output delegates

## VERSION

Version 3.50

## DESCRIPTION

This provides console orientated output formatting for TAP::Harness.

## SYNOPSIS

```
 use TAP::Formatter::Console;
 my $harness = TAP::Formatter::Console->new( \%args );
```

## METHODS

### Class Methods

*"new"*

```
 my %args = (
    verbose => 1,
 )
 my $harness = TAP::Formatter::Console->new( \%args );
```

The constructor returns a new `"TAP::Formatter::Console"` object. If a TAP::Harness is created with no `"formatter"` a `"TAP::Formatter::Console"` is automatically created. If any of the following options were given to TAP::Harness-\>new they well be passed to this constructor which accepts an optional hashref whose allowed keys are:

- •

  `"verbosity"`

  Set the verbosity level.

- •

  `"verbose"`

  Printing individual test results to STDOUT.

- •

  `"timer"`

  Append run time for each test to output. Uses Time::HiRes if available.

- •

  `"failures"`

  Show test failures (this is a no-op if `"verbose"` is selected).

- •

  `"comments"`

  Show test comments (this is a no-op if `"verbose"` is selected).

- •

  `"quiet"`

  Suppressing some test output (mostly failures while tests are running).

- •

  `"really_quiet"`

  Suppressing everything but the tests summary.

- •

  `"silent"`

  Suppressing all output.

- •

  `"errors"`

  If parse errors are found in the TAP output, a note of this will be made in the summary report.  To see all of the parse errors, set this argument to true:

  ```
    errors => 1
  ```

- •

  `"directives"`

  If set to a true value, only test results with directives will be displayed. This overrides other settings such as `"verbose"`, `"failures"`, or `"comments"`.

- •

  `"stdout"`

  A filehandle for catching standard output.

- •

  `"color"`

  If defined specifies whether color output is desired. If `"color"` is not defined it will default to color output if color support is available on the current platform and output is not being redirected.

- •

  `"jobs"`

  The number of concurrent jobs this formatter will handle.

- •

  `"show_count"`

  Boolean value.  If false, disables the `"X/Y"` test count which shows up while tests are running.

Any keys for which the value is `"undef"` will be ignored.

*"prepare"*

Called by Test::Harness before any test output is generated.

This is an advisory and may not be called in the case where tests are being supplied to Test::Harness by an iterator.

*"open\_test"*

Called to create a new test session. A test session looks like this:

```
    my $session = $formatter->open_test( $test, $parser );
    while ( defined( my $result = $parser->next ) ) {
        $session->result($result);
        exit 1 if $result->is_bailout;
    }
    $session->close_test;
```

*"summary"*

```
  $harness->summary( $aggregate );
```

`"summary"` prints the summary report after all tests are run. The first argument is an aggregate to summarise. An optional second argument may be set to a true value to indicate that the summary is being output as a result of an interrupted test run.