simple_scan 2.02

simple_scan Perl module can scan a set of Web pages for strings present/absent.

ABSTRACT

App::SimpleScan - Mini-language for website testing

SYNOPSIS

simple_scan [--generate] [--run]
[--define key="value value ..." ] [--override] [--defer]
[--debug]
[--warn]
[--no-agent]
[--autocache]
[--status]
{file file file ...}

USAGE

# Run the tests in the files supplied on the command line.
# --run (or -run; were flexible) is assumed if you give no switches.
% simple_scan file1 file2 file3

# Generate a set of tests and save them, then run them.
% | simple_scan --generate > pipe_scan.t

# Run one simple test
% echo "http://yahoo.com yahoo Y Look for yahoo.com" | simple_scan -run

simple_scan is an extensible "little language" for static web page testing. It allows you to define tests in terms of test specs (which tell simple_scan where to go and what to look for there) and pragmas (which define string substitutions, or alter the way that simple_scan runs its tests).

simple_scan is designed to be easy to use. If you know where your page is (what URL) and can write a basic regular expression to match text on that page, you can use simple_scan.

simple_scan itself is based on a pluggable Perl class; more sophisticated users can install plugins to extend the language itself, or even the command-line options that the simple_scan command accepts.

Low-level access to web pages is done via WWW::Mechanize::Pluggable and Test::WWW::Simple, so its even possible to build new methods to access your data into the language by writing plugins for Mech and simple_scan.

simple_scan is meant to be a simple web testing language, so it doesnt implement any control structures. You declare what tests are to be run, and simple_scan then runs them all, telling you at the end which tests passed and which didnt. It uses TAP (Test Anything Protocol) to report on the tests, meaning that any Test::Harness-based program can read and interpret the output.