Enhancing Test Development in Bioconductor Packages with roxytest and biocroxytest

Author(s): Francesc Català Moll

Affiliation(s): IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain



The development of robust and reliable tests is fundamental in Bioconductor package creation. This presentation will focus on how roxytest and biocroxytest packages can streamline the process of writing, organizing, and maintaining tests. In Bioconductor, daily tests are executed as part of the nightly builds, with a maximum limit of 40 minutes per package. For tests exceeding this limit, developers can set up “long tests”. roxytest leverages the structure of roxygen2 to incorporate tests directly into the documentation, enhancing code readability and organization, thus facilitating test management for developers. biocroxytest, specifically designed for Bioconductor packages, addresses more extensive testing scenarios. It introduces a new roclet, @longtests, allowing developers to document and store long tests within their roxygen2 comments. The @longtests roclet provides a dedicated space for extensive tests, ensuring they are easily accessible and well-documented. This not only improves the package’s reliability but also its maintainability. Thus, biocroxytest contributes to the creation of robust, reliable, and efficient Bioconductor packages. This presentation will offer practical insights into the usage of these packages and illustrate how they can optimize the test development process in Bioconductor.