BOOST_DATA_TEST_CASE with dataset = list of tuples

Question

My data-driven Boost test-case takes several parameters. I chose to group them in a std::tuple. So the resulting dataset consists in a list of tuples.
Beyond a 1-element tuple (test1 below), the compilation fails (test2 below) :

#define BOOST_TEST_MAIN
#define BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK

#include <boost/test/included/unit_test.hpp>
#include <boost/test/data/test_case.hpp>

typedef std::tuple<int> type1;
BOOST_DATA_TEST_CASE(test1, std::list<type1>({{1}}), i)
{
        BOOST_CHECK(i);
}

typedef std::tuple<int, int> type2;
BOOST_DATA_TEST_CASE(test2, std::list<type2>({{1, 0}}), i)
{
        BOOST_CHECK(std::get<0>(i));
        BOOST_CHECK(! std::get<1>(i));
}

Resulting error message:

$ g++ -o boost_data_test_case  boost_data_test_case.cpp -I ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/   &&  ./boost_data_test_case
In file included from boost_data_test_case.cpp:6:
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/test_case.hpp: In instantiation of ‘void boost::unit_test::data::ds_detail::test_case_gen<TestCase, DataSet>::operator()(Arg&& ...) const [with Arg = {const int&, const int&}; TestCase = test2case; DataSet = boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::collection<std::list<std::tuple<int, int> > >]’:
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/for_each_sample.hpp:55:11:   required from ‘void boost::unit_test::data::invoke_action_impl(const Action&, T&&, const boost::unit_test::data::index_sequence<I ...>&) [with Action = boost::unit_test::data::ds_detail::test_case_gen<test2case, boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::collection<std::list<std::tuple<int, int> > > >; T = const std::tuple<int, int>&; long unsigned int ...I = {0, 1}]’
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/for_each_sample.hpp:64:23:   required from ‘void boost::unit_test::data::invoke_action(const Action&, T&&, std::true_type) [with Action = boost::unit_test::data::ds_detail::test_case_gen<test2case, boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::collection<std::list<std::tuple<int, int> > > >; T = const std::tuple<int, int>&; std::true_type = std::integral_constant<bool, true>]’
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/for_each_sample.hpp:90:22:   required from ‘typename std::enable_if<boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::is_dataset<DataSet>::value, void>::type boost::unit_test::data::for_each_sample(const DataSet&, const Action&, boost::unit_test::data::size_t) [with DataSet = boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::collection<std::list<std::tuple<int, int> > >; Action = boost::unit_test::data::ds_detail::test_case_gen<test2case, boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::collection<std::list<std::tuple<int, int> > > >; typename std::enable_if<boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::is_dataset<DataSet>::value, void>::type = void]’
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/test_case.hpp:160:34:   required from ‘boost::unit_test::test_unit* boost::unit_test::data::ds_detail::test_case_gen<TestCase, DataSet>::next() const [with TestCase = test2case; DataSet = boost::unit_test::data::monomorphic::collection<std::list<std::tuple<int, int> > >]’
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/test_case.hpp:157:24:   required from here
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/test_case.hpp:195:37: error: no matching function for call to ‘bind(<unresolved overloaded function type>, const int&, const int&)’
  195 |                            std::bind( &TestCase::template test_method<Arg...>,
      |                            ~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  196 |                                       boost_bind_rvalue_holder_helper(std::forward<Arg>(arg))...)));
      |                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In file included from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/smart_ptr/detail/shared_count.hpp:37,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/smart_ptr/shared_ptr.hpp:17,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/shared_ptr.hpp:17,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/execution_monitor.hpp:24,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/impl/compiler_log_formatter.ipp:22,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/included/unit_test.hpp:18,
                 from boost_data_test_case.cpp:5:
/opt/rh/devtoolset-9/root/usr/include/c++/9/functional:808:5: note: candidate: ‘template<class _Func, class ... _BoundArgs> typename std::_Bind_helper<std::__is_socketlike<_Func>::value, _Func, _BoundArgs ...>::type std::bind(_Func&&, _BoundArgs&& ...)’
  808 |     bind(_Func&& __f, _BoundArgs&&... __args)
      |     ^~~~
/opt/rh/devtoolset-9/root/usr/include/c++/9/functional:808:5: note:   template argument deduction/substitution failed:
In file included from boost_data_test_case.cpp:6:
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/test_case.hpp:195:37: note:   couldn’t deduce template parameter ‘_Func’
  195 |                            std::bind( &TestCase::template test_method<Arg...>,
      |                            ~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  196 |                                       boost_bind_rvalue_holder_helper(std::forward<Arg>(arg))...)));
      |                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In file included from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/smart_ptr/detail/shared_count.hpp:37,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/smart_ptr/shared_ptr.hpp:17,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/shared_ptr.hpp:17,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/execution_monitor.hpp:24,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/impl/compiler_log_formatter.ipp:22,
                 from ~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/included/unit_test.hpp:18,
                 from boost_data_test_case.cpp:5:
/opt/rh/devtoolset-9/root/usr/include/c++/9/functional:832:5: note: candidate: ‘template<class _Result, class _Func, class ... _BoundArgs> typename std::_Bindres_helper<_Result, _Func, _BoundArgs>::type std::bind(_Func&&, _BoundArgs&& ...)’
  832 |     bind(_Func&& __f, _BoundArgs&&... __args)
      |     ^~~~
/opt/rh/devtoolset-9/root/usr/include/c++/9/functional:832:5: note:   template argument deduction/substitution failed:
In file included from boost_data_test_case.cpp:6:
~/workspace/boost_1_81_0/boost/test/data/test_case.hpp:195:37: note:   couldn’t deduce template parameter ‘_Result’
  195 |                            std::bind( &TestCase::template test_method<Arg...>,
      |                            ~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  196 |                                       boost_bind_rvalue_holder_helper(std::forward<Arg>(arg))...)));
      |                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why use tuple at all? You're not template (meta) programming are you? A struct with fields you can name yourself is both more type safe and more easy to spot which members mean what — Pepijn Kramer
– Pepijn Kramer, Commented Sep 29 at 12:53
Beyond a 1-element tuple (test1 below), the compilation fails (test2 below) -- BOOST_CHECK(i.first); BOOST_CHECK(! i.second); -- Let's extend your initial code a bit. If your tuple had 3 or 4 elements, would you expect that there would be a .third and .fourth members? Of course not. See std::get<> — PaulMcKenzie
– PaulMcKenzie, Commented Sep 29 at 13:21

Marek R · Accepted Answer · 2025-09-29 13:34:31Z

3

If you check documentation of BOOST_DATA_TEST_CASE

Then you should noticed that tuple is bind to multiple variables. Structured binding is used to unpack tuple.

#define BOOST_TEST_MAIN
#define BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK

#include <boost/test/data/test_case.hpp>
#include <boost/test/included/unit_test.hpp>
#include <list>
#include <tuple>

typedef std::tuple<int> type1;
BOOST_DATA_TEST_CASE(test1, std::list<type1>({{1}}), i) {
    BOOST_CHECK(i);
}

typedef std::tuple<int, int> type2;
BOOST_DATA_TEST_CASE(test2, std::list<type2>({{1, 0}}), a, b) {
    BOOST_CHECK(a);
    BOOST_CHECK(!b);
}

Live demo
Falling test example

Running 3 test cases...
/app/example.cpp(17): error: in "test2/_1": check !b has failed
Failure occurred in a following context:
    a = 3; b = -1;

edited Sep 29 at 13:34

answered Sep 29 at 13:27

Marek R

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1 Comment

Francois Sep 29 at 16:17

Thanks for the fix. Too bad that no required or recommended type for 'dataset' is mentioned in the official Boost examples.

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