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Adding CI Tests

If you're developing an application that needs a specific configuration file, input format, or top-level ComponentAccumulator-based script, we encourage you to write continuous integration tests so that we won't break your workflow.

The main test script lives in test/test-dumper, and is invoked by running test-dumper <mode>, where <mode> is a key that selects the configuration file, the input data file, and the top level test executable to run the dumper. To add a new mode it should be sufficient to edit test-dumper and add a new entry under CONFIGS, DATAFILES, and TESTS.

To add the tests to CI, you'll also have to edit .gitlab-ci.yml

Making inputs for tests#

We keep the input files small (roughly 10 MB) so that tests are quick to run locally. If you need a new input format for your test, you can create a smaller file in several ways.

Sometimes you can download a dataset from the grid, set up Athena, and run

Merge_tf.py --CA --inputAODFile <xAOD-file> --outputAOD_MRGFile <name>.small.pool.root --maxEvents 10
There should be a simpler command, currently broken!

The previous way to do this was with acmd merge-files, but that is currently broken, see ATEAM-941. 

acmd merge-files <xAOD-file> -o test.pool.root --evts 10

Unfortunately this may not work for some DAODs. In this case, see the section on making test DAODs.

Uploading test files#

Test files are stored in a dedicated repository via Git LFS. After you've confirmed that you can use your reduced test file, create a MR to this repository including your file. Be sure to commit your file using Git LFS.

Using Git LFS

Using Git LFS requires LFS to be installed. Several installation options are listed here. If you use conda you can also run simply run conda install git-lfs.

However you install Git LFS, you need to run the setup command once per user account.

git lfs install

Once run, Git will automatically commit any files named *.root using LFS.

Making DAODs from AODs#

You can reproduce a DAOD from its source, but unfortunately there are a few steps which you have to follow carefully. Suppose you'd like a 10 event version of DAOD_PHYSVAL.410470.e6337_s3681_r13144_p5057.pool.root. You'll need to find:

  1. The input AOD file, and
  2. The command to produce the DAOD from the AOD

And then use this information to build a new file.

Central derivation documentation page

The main documentation page on running derivations can be found here.

Finding the input AOD with rucio#

You can dig up the input file with some detective work and rucio. Running

setupATLAS
lsetup rucio

will set up rucio. You can then search with rucio ls, using the wildcard * to fill in unknown parts of the dataset:

rucio ls 'mc20_13TeV:mc20_13TeV*.410470.*e6337_s3681_r13144_p5057*'

will return several datasets (note you have to guess the "scope", it's usually either mc20_13TeV: or mc16_13TeV:). The above gives one dataset called

mc20_13TeV:mc20_13TeV.410470.PhPy8EG_A14_ttbar_hdamp258p75_nonallhad.deriv.DAOD_PHYSVAL.e6337_s3681_r13144_p5057

It probably came from an input with a similar name, without the p5057. Let's try

rucio ls 'mc20_13TeV:mc20_13TeV*.410470.*e6337_s3681_r13144/'

note the / at the end indicating the end of the container name. That returns a file named

mc20_13TeV:mc20_13TeV.410470.PhPy8EG_A14_ttbar_hdamp258p75_nonallhad.recon.AOD.e6337_s3681_r13144

Download one of them with rucio get --nrandom 1 <the file>.

Finding the command to reproduce the derivation#

It's important that you set up the same release and produce the derivation with the same parameters that it was initially built with. You can look up the p5057 tag with ami. This will show you that the cacheName was 22.0.62.

You'll need to open a clean shell and set up this release

setupATLAS
asetup Athena,22.0.62

and then produce a new DAOD with

Derivation_tf.py --CA True --AMIConfig p5057 --inputAODFile AOD.pool.root --outputDAODFile small.pool.root --formats PHYSVAL --maxEvents 10
See the central derivation documentation page for up to date instructions

The main documentation page on running derivations can be found here.

Where AOD.pool.root is the name of the AOD you just downloaded. There are several additional arguments: - --AMIConfig p5057 configures the job to use the exact p-tag of choice for the output DAOD.

  • --maxEvents 10 tells the job to stop after 10 events.

  • --outputDAODFile small.pool.root specifies the output type as DAOD and gives a file extension.

  • --formats PHYSVAL specifies that the output is in the PHYSVAL format.

This should produce a file called DAOD_PHYSVAL.small.pool.root. You can check the contents with

checkFile DAOD_PHYSVAL.small.pool.root

You can cross check this with the officially produced samples to make sure they contain the same information.