---
name: "gendesc"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "lcov"
version: "2.6-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/gendesc"
---

# gendesc(1)

gendesc documentation

## NAME

gendesc - gendesc documentation

- **Manual section**

  1

- **Manual group**

  LCOV 2.5

## NAME

- **gendesc**

  Generate a test case description file (internal application)

## SYNOPSIS

- **gendesc** \[ **-h** \| **–help** \] \[ **-v** \| **–version** \]

  \[ **-o** \| **–output-filename** *filename* \] *inputfile*

## DESCRIPTION

Convert plain text test case descriptions into a format as understood by **genhtml**. *inputfile* needs to observe the following format:

For each test case:

- •

  one line containing the test case name beginning at the start of the line

- •

  one or more lines containing the test case description indented with at least one whitespace character (tab or space)

**Example input file:**

```
test01
    An example test case description.
    Description continued
test42
    Supposedly the answer to most of your questions
```

Note: valid test names can consist of letters, decimal digits and the underscore character (‘\_’).

## OPTIONS

- **-h**, **–help**

  Print a short help text, then exit.

- **-v**, **–version**

  Print version number, then exit.

- **-o** *filename*, **–output-filename** *filename*

  Write description data to *filename*.

  By default, output is written to STDOUT.

## AUTHOR

Peter Oberparleiter \<\<Peter.Oberparleiter@de.ibm.com\>\>

## SEE ALSO

**[lcov(1)](/lcov/1.md) \<file://../man/lcov.1.html\>**, **[genhtml(1)](/genhtml/1.md) \<file://../man/genhtml.1.html\>**, **[geninfo(1)](/geninfo/1.md) \<file://../man/geninfo.1.html\>**, **[genpng(1)](/genpng/1.md) \<file://../man/genpng.1.html\>**, **[gcov(1)](/gcov/1.md) \<file://../man/gcov.1.html\>**

\<https://github.com/linux-test-project/lcov\>

## Copyright

2024-2026, LCOV Project