Meziantou.FrameworkThe approval tool
editMeziantou.Framework.SnapshotTesting.Tool approves snapshots after a test run: it renames each *.actual.* file to the matching *.verified.* file, replacing the old snapshot.
The command reference lists every command and its options.
Install the tool
Install it as a global .NET tool:
dotnet tool install --global Meziantou.Framework.SnapshotTesting.ToolApprove every snapshot
Run the tests, review the failures, then approve every actual file under the current folder:
Meziantou.Framework.SnapshotTesting.Tool approveThe tool prints how many snapshots it found, approved, skipped and failed to approve. It exits with code 1 when a file could not be approved, or when the folder does not exist.
Approve snapshots one by one
With --interactive, the tool asks for each actual file. Answer y or yes to approve it; n, no or an empty answer skips it and leaves the actual file in place:
Meziantou.Framework.SnapshotTesting.Tool approve --interactiveOptions
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--interactive | Asks before approving each snapshot |
--folder <folder> | The folder to process. The current folder by default |
--recurse | Searches the __snapshots__ folders in every subfolder. Enabled by default |
The tool looks for actual files in the __snapshots__ folders: the folder itself when you point it at a __snapshots__ folder, its __snapshots__ subfolder otherwise, and every __snapshots__ folder below it. Run it from the root of the repository to approve the snapshots of every test project, or point --folder at one test project.
What gets approved
Name.actual.extreplacesName.verified.ext, including for extensions that contain dots (Name.actual.g.cs).- A file whose name contains
.verified.is never approved, even when it also matches*.actual.*: it is the verified file of a test whose name contains.actual., as earlier versions named them. - The library deletes the actual files that are no longer relevant (see The lifetime of an actual file), so an actual file left by an earlier failed run cannot be approved over a correct snapshot.
The tool does not delete the verified files that an assertion no longer produces: the failure message lists them, and you remove them yourself.
The tool only works with the file snapshots of Meziantou.Framework.SnapshotTesting. Inline snapshots are stored in the source code; see Updating inline snapshots.