Re: pg_regress: schedule multi-line test groups

> On 17 Sep 2026, at 10:43, Alexandre Felipe <o(dot)alexandre(dot)felipe(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:

> Actually, I think we should support arbitrary size test groups and run them on a pool
> from a queue that would possibly make the regression faster as today we always
> wait for the slowest test in each group.

I know of ongoing, as of yet unpublished, work in this area to improve this
scheduling which will also change the syntax. There is a bit complexity to it
than just picking from a pool since there are inter-suite dependencies.

+ /*
+ * Found `test: # no tests` treat it as a multiline test group
+ */
if (num_tests == 0)
{
- bail("syntax error in schedule file \"%s\" line %d: %s",
- schedule, line_num, scbuf);
+ multiline_test = true;
+ }

This will allow empty test groups which we currently treat as an error. This
schedule:

test: test_setup\n
test:\n
\n
test:\n

Parses and runs with all tests succeeded:

# initializing database system by copying initdb template
# using temp instance on port 40058 with PID 71845
ok 1 - test_setup 448 ms
# parallel group (0 tests):
# parallel group (0 tests):
1..1
# All 1 tests passed.
# test succeeded

Without the patch an empty group will throw an error, and I think it makes
sense to preserve that behaviour.

Also, if we are to change the accepted syntax, why limit to single line or
multiline, why not accept any whitespace separated name between ^test: and
(^test|EOF)? Something like the below:

test: boolean
char
name

--
Daniel Gustafsson