Datest 🧪

Simple testing framework for Dana language files (.na)

Datest is a minimal testing framework for Dana (.na) files. It provides basic test discovery and execution for neurosymbolic agent systems written in the Dana language.

Status: Early MVP - Basic functionality for discovering and validating Dana test files.

---

🚀 Quick Start

# Install and setup
git clone https://github.com/aitomatic/datest.git
cd datest
make quickstart
# Run datest (currently shows help and validates setup)
datest
# Future: Basic Dana file testing
datest test_example.na # Run a Dana test file
datest tests/ # Run all .na files in directory

---

🧪 What Datest Does

Datest is a barebones MVP that focuses on the essentials:

Basic Test Discovery

• Finds .na files in directories
• Follows simple naming patterns (test_*.na)
• Basic file validation

Simple Dana Test Format

// test_example.na - Basic Dana test
test "simple reasoning" {
reason("What is 2 + 2?")
expect(contains("4"))
}
test "basic memory" {
remember("fact", "sky is blue")
reason("What color is the sky?")
expect(contains("blue"))
}

---

✨ Core Features (MVP)

• 🔍 File Discovery: Finds Dana test files in directories
• 📄 Basic Parsing: Validates Dana test file syntax
• 📋 Simple Output: Basic pass/fail reporting
• 🎯 Minimal: Focused on essential functionality only

Not Included (Yet):

• ❌ Advanced assertions
• ❌ Parallel execution
• ❌ Complex reporting
• ❌ Plugin system
• ❌ Coverage analysis

---

🛠️ Installation

# Quick setup
git clone https://github.com/aitomatic/datest.git
cd datest
make setup-dev

Or install directly:

pip install -e .

---

📖 Basic Usage

Current Commands

# Show help and validate installation
datest
# Check version
datest --version
# Verbose output
datest --verbose

Planned Commands (Simple)

# Run Dana test files
datest test_example.na # Single file
datest tests/ # Directory of .na files
datest --list # Show discovered tests

---

🧪 Writing Dana Tests (Basic)

Simple Test Structure

// test_basic.na
test "addition" {
reason("What is 5 + 3?")
expect(contains("8"))
}
test "memory recall" {
remember("name", "Alice")
reason("What name did I remember?")
expect(contains("Alice"))
}

Basic Assertions (Planned)

• expect(contains("text")) - Check if response contains text
• expect(equals("exact")) - Exact match
• expect(not_empty()) - Response is not empty

That's it. No complex patterns, no advanced features - just the basics.

---

🏗️ Current Status

What Works Now (v0.1.0)

• ✅ CLI framework with basic argument parsing
• ✅ Project structure and packaging
• ✅ Development tooling setup
• ✅ Installation and basic validation

Next Steps (v0.2.0)

• 🚧 Simple Dana file discovery
• 🚧 Basic Dana test parsing
• 🚧 Minimal test execution
• 🚧 Simple pass/fail output

Future (Maybe)

• 📋 More assertion types
• 📋 Better error messages
• 📋 Configuration files
• 📋 Integration with other tools

---

🔧 Configuration (Minimal)

Basic datest.toml

# datest.toml - Simple configuration
[tool.datest]
test_dirs = ["tests"]
test_pattern = "test_*.na"

That's all the configuration needed for the MVP.

---

🤝 Contributing

This is a minimal MVP, so contributions should focus on:

Core Priorities

1. Dana file parsing - Basic syntax validation
2. Test discovery - Find .na files reliably
3. Simple execution - Run tests and report results
4. Error handling - Clear error messages

Non-Priorities (For Now)

• Advanced features
• Complex reporting
• Performance optimization
• Plugin systems

Getting Started

git clone https://github.com/your-username/datest.git
cd datest
make setup-dev
make test

---

📊 Why This MVP Approach?

Keep It Simple

• Focus on core Dana testing needs
• Get basic functionality working first
• Avoid feature creep early on

Learn First

• Understand how Dana tests should work
• Get feedback from real usage
• Build features that are actually needed

Sustainable Development

• Small, manageable codebase
• Clear scope and expectations
• Room to grow based on user needs

---

🔗 Resources

• Repository: github.com/aitomatic/datest
• Issues: Report bugs and simple feature requests
• Discussions: Basic usage questions

---

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE.md for details.

---

Built with ❤️ by Aitomatic
Simple Dana testing, one step at a time