tests/README.md

In gerda: German Election Database (GERDA)

GERDA Package Test Suite

This directory contains comprehensive tests for the GERDA package, written using the testthat framework.

Test Structure

The test suite is organized into the following files:

test-gerda_data_list.R

Tests for the gerda_data_list() function:

• Validates output structure with both print_table = TRUE/FALSE
• Tests data integrity and completeness
• Verifies default parameter behavior
• Ensures all expected datasets are present

test-load_gerda_web.R

Tests for the load_gerda_web() function:

• Parameter validation (file names, formats)
• Error handling for invalid inputs
• Fuzzy matching functionality for similar dataset names
• Format validation (CSV vs RDS)
• Edge cases and boundary conditions

Note: These tests focus on parameter validation and error handling rather than actual data downloading, to avoid network dependencies during testing.

test-party_crosswalk.R

Tests for the party_crosswalk() function:

• Basic functionality with known German parties
• Handling of different destination columns (character vs numeric)
• NA value processing
• Parameter validation and error handling
• Edge cases (empty vectors, unknown parties)
• Data type consistency

test-integration.R

Integration tests demonstrating typical package workflows:

• Complete workflow from listing datasets to loading data
• Party crosswalk integration with common German parties
• Error handling across multiple functions
• Data consistency between functions
• Integration with tidyverse/dplyr workflows

Running the Tests

To run the complete test suite:

# Install and load required packages
library(devtools)

# Run all tests
test()

# Or run specific test files
test_file("tests/testthat/test-gerda_data_list.R")

Test Coverage

The test suite includes 164 individual test cases covering:

• ✅ All three main package functions
• ✅ Parameter validation and error handling
• ✅ Edge cases and boundary conditions
• ✅ Data integrity and consistency
• ✅ Integration workflows
• ✅ Compatibility with tidyverse tools

Expected Test Results

When all tests pass, you should see output similar to:

[ FAIL 0 | WARN 0 | SKIP 0 | PASS 164 ]

Test Philosophy

These tests are designed to:

1. Validate functionality - Ensure all functions work as documented
2. Prevent regressions - Catch breaking changes during development
3. Document expected behavior - Serve as executable specifications
4. Handle edge cases - Test boundary conditions and error scenarios
5. Support CI/CD - Enable automated testing in development workflows

Dependencies

The tests require the following packages:

• testthat (>= 3.0.0) - Testing framework
• dplyr - For integration tests with tidyverse workflows

Optional dependencies:

• devtools - For running tests during development

gerda documentation built on Nov. 13, 2025, 1:07 a.m.