Event

<p>Testing is central to modern software quality, yet many widely used Fortran codebases still lack automated tests. Existing tests are often limited to coarse end-to-end regression checks that provide only partial confidence. With the growth of open-source Fortran tools, we can now bring unit testing and continuous validation to legacy and modern Fortran projects alike. </p> <p>This talk surveys the current landscape of Fortran testing frameworks before focusing on three I have evaluated in practice — pFUnit, test-drive and veggies — and explaining why pFUnit is often the most robust choice. I will discuss its JUnit-inspired design, use of the preprocessor, and the compiler idiosyncrasies that can still make adoption challenging. I will examine the hurdles that make testing Fortran hard: global state, oversized subroutines, legacy dependencies, and compiler-specific behaviour. </p> <p>I will then present community-oriented efforts to improve testing practices in Fortran, including development of an open-source Carpentries-style training course on testing in Fortran, with plans to expand into a broader introduction to sustainable Fortran development using open-source linting and documentation tools such as Fortitude and Ford. </p> <p>Attendees will gain practical guidance for introducing effective testing into existing Fortran codebases, and insight into current efforts towards modern workflows that support reproducibility and continuous delivery.</p>