Self-Test Block Macro with Debug Flags

Self-Test Block Macro with Debug Flags

The compile-time on/off decision about self-testing code is not the most flexible method. The block version of SELFTEST can also have levels or debug flag areas. One natural extension is to implement a “flags” idiom for areas, to allow configuration of what areas of self-testing code are executed for a particular run (e.g. a decoding algorithm flag, a normalization flag, a MatMul flag, etc.). One Boolean flag is set for each debugging area, which controls whether or not the self-testing code in that module is enabled or not.

A macro definition of SELFTEST(flagarea) can be hooked into the run-time configuration library for debugging output. In this way, it has both a compile-out setting (YDEBUG==0) and dynamic runtime “areas” for self-testing code. Here's the definition of the self-testing code areas:

    enum selftest_areas {
        SELFTEST_NORMALIZATION,
        SELFTEST_MATMUL,
        SELFTEST_SOFTMAX,
        // ... more
    };

A use of the SELFTEST method with areas looks like:

    YSELFTEST(SELFTEST_NORMALIZATION) {
        // ... self-test code
    }

The SELFTEST macro definition with area flags looks like:

    
    extern bool g_aussie_debug_enabled;  // Global override
    extern bool YDEBUG_FLAGS[100];     // Area flags

    #if YDEBUG
        #define SELFTEST(flagarea) \
            if(g_aussie_debug_enabled == 0 || YDEBUG_FLAGS[flagarea] == 0) \
            { /* do nothing */ } else
    #else
    #define SELFTEST if(1) {} else // disabled completely
    #endif

This uses a “debug flags” array idea as for the debugging output commands, rather than a single “level” of debugging. Naturally, a better implementation would allow separation of the areas for debug trace output and self-testing code, with two different sets of levels/flags, but this is left as an extension for the reader.

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