---
name: "cutter"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "cutter-testing-framework-bin"
version: "1.1.7-1.2"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/cutter"
---

# cutter(1)

xUnit family unit testing framework for C and C++

## NAME

cutter - xUnit family unit testing framework for C and C++

## SYNOPSIS

**cutter** \[*option ...*\] *test-directory*

**cutter** --mode=analyze \[*option ...*\] *log-directory*

## DESCRIPTION

Cutter is a xUnit family unit testing framework for C and C++. Cutter provides programmers two important interfaces:

- 1\.

  easy to write API

- 2\.

  easy to debug UI

Cutter helps programmers to write their new tests, run their existing tests, get feedbacks from ran their tests.

*test-directory* is a directory which has test\_\*.so. test\_\*.so are searched recursively.

*log-directory* is a directory which has Cutter log files. Cutter logs test results when --stream-directory option is specified.

## OPTIONS

- **--version**

  Cutter shows its own version and exits.

- **--mode=\[test\|analyze\]**

  It specifies run mode. Cutter runs tests when run mode is test. Cutter analyzes test results when run mode is analyze.

  The default is test.

- **-s DIRECTORY, --source-directory=DIRECTORY**

  Cutter prepends DIRECTORY to file name when test fails. This is for tolls (like Emacs) which have function jumping to error line.

- **-t TEST\_CASE\_NAME, --test-case=TEST\_CASE\_NAME**

  Cutter runs test cases that are matched with TEST\_CASE\_NAME. If TEST\_CASE\_NAME is surrounded by "/" (e.g. /test\_/), TEST\_CASE\_NAME is handled as regular expression.

  This option can be specified n times. In the case, Cutter runs test cases that are matched with any TEST\_CASE\_NAME. (OR)

- **-n TEST\_NAME, --name=TEST\_NAME**

  Cutter runs tests that are matched with TEST\_NAME. If TEST\_NAME is surrounded by "/" (e.g. /test\_/), TEST\_NAME is handled as regular expression.

  This option can be specified n times. In the case, Cutter runs test that are matched with any TEST\_NAME. (OR)

- **-m, --multi-thread**

  Cutter runs a test case in a new thread.

  The default is off.

- **--max-threads=MAX\_THREADS**

  Run test cases and iterated tests with MAX\_THREADS threads concurrently at a maximum. -1 means no limit.

  The default is 10.

- **--disable-signal-handling**

  Disable signal handling that provides aborting test by C-c, provides backtrace on SEGV and so on. If your test target uses signal, Cutter's signal handling may cause a problem. In the case, you should disable Cutter's signal handling by this option.

  The default is enabled.

- **--test-case-order=\[none\|name\|name-desc\]**

  It specifies test case order.

  If 'none' is specified, Cutter doesn't sort. If 'name' is specified, Cutter sorts test cases by name in ascending order. If 'name-desc' is specified, Cutter sorts test cases by name in descending order.

  The default is none.

- **--exclude-file=FILE**

  Cutter doesn't read FILE on test collecting.

- **--exclude-directory=DIRECTORY**

  Cutter doesn't search tests under DIRECTORY.

- **--fatal-failures**

  Cutter treats failures as fatal problem. It means that Cutter stops test run.

  The default is off.

- **--keep-opening-modules**

  Cutter keeps opening loaded modules to resolve symbols for debugging.

  The default is off.

- **--enable-convenience-attribute-definition**

  It enables convenience but danger "#{ATTRIBUTE\_NAME}\_#{TEST\_NAME - 'test\_' PREFIX}" attribute set function.

  The default is off.

- **--stop-before-test**

  It sets a breakpoint immediately before each test. You can dive into test function easily by running cutter on your debugger and stepping into the next function.

  The default is off.

- **-u\[console\|gtk\], --ui=\[console\|gtk\]**

  It specifies UI.

  The default is console UI.

- **-v\[s\|silent\|n\|normal\|v\|verbose\], --verbose=\[s\|silent\|n\|normal\|v\|verbose\]**

  It specifies verbose level.

  This option is only for console UI.

- **-c\[yes\|true\|no\|false\|auto\], --color=\[yes\|true\|no\|false\|auto\]**

  If 'yes' or 'true' is specified, Cutter uses colorized output by escape sequence. If 'no' or 'false' is specified, Cutter never use colorized output. If 'auto' or the option is omitted, Cutter uses colorized output if available.

  This option is only for console UI.

- **--pdf-report=FILE**

  Cutter outputs a test report to FILE as PDF format.

- **--xml-report=FILE**

  Cutter outputs a test report to FILE as XML format.

- **--stream=\[xml\]**

  It specifies stream backend. Stream backend streams test results.

  There is only XML stream backend for now.

- **--stream-fd=FILE\_DESCRIPTOR**

  It specifies output file descriptor. The XML stream backend streams to FILE\_DESCRIPTOR.

  This option is only for XML stream backend.

- **--stream-directory=DIRECTORY**

  It specifies output directory. The XML stream backend streams to a file under DIRECTORY.

  This option is only for XML stream backend.

- **-?, --help**

  Cutter shows common options.

- **--help-stream**

  Cutter shows stream related options.

- **--help-report**

  Cutter shows report related options.

- **--help-ui**

  Cutter shows UI related options.

- **--help-all**

  Cutter shows all options.

## EXIT STATUS

The exit status is 0 if all tests are passed and non-0 otherwise.  Omission test result and notification test result are not treated as failure.

## FILES

- **/usr/local/share/doc/cutter/**

  The directory has Cutter documents. e.g. reference manual, tutorial and so on.

## EXAMPLE

In the following example, cutter runs tests under tests/ directory and shows test progress verbosely.

```
    % cutter -v v test/
```

In the following example, test results are saved under logs/ directory:

```
    % cutter --stream=xml --stream-directory=logs/ test/
```

## SEE ALSO

GLib's reference manual.