Ardalis.SingleFileTestRunner

SingleFileTestRunner

A lightweight package for running xUnit tests in single-file C# applications. Perfect for quick test scripts, learning scenarios, or standalone test executables.

Installation

dotnet add package Ardalis.SingleFileTestRunner
dotnet add package xunit

Quick Start

Create a single .cs file with your tests and run them directly:

// MyTests.cs
using Xunit;
using Ardalis.SingleFileTestRunner;

// Run all tests in this file
return await TestRunner.RunTestsAsync();

// Your test classes
public class CalculatorTests
{
    [Fact]
    public void Addition_ReturnsCorrectSum()
    {
        Assert.Equal(4, 2 + 2);
    }

    [Theory]
    [InlineData(1, 1, 2)]
    [InlineData(5, 3, 8)]
    [InlineData(-1, 1, 0)]
    public void Addition_WithVariousInputs_ReturnsExpectedResult(int a, int b, int expected)
    {
        Assert.Equal(expected, a + b);
    }
}

public class StringTests
{
    [Fact]
    public void Contains_FindsSubstring()
    {
        Assert.Contains("world", "Hello world!");
    }
}

Run with:

dotnet run MyTests.cs

Features

• Simple API: Just call TestRunner.RunTestsAsync() to discover and run all xUnit tests
• Colorized Output: Clear visual feedback with green for passing, red for failing, and yellow for skipped tests
• CI/CD Ready: Returns exit code 0 for success, 1 for failures
• Single-File Compatible: Works with dotnet run on single .cs files and published single-file executables
• Full xUnit Support: Supports [Fact], [Theory], and all standard xUnit attributes

Sample Output

Discovering and running tests...

  [PASS] CalculatorTests.Addition_ReturnsCorrectSum
  [PASS] CalculatorTests.Addition_WithVariousInputs_ReturnsExpectedResult(a: 1, b: 1, expected: 2)
  [PASS] CalculatorTests.Addition_WithVariousInputs_ReturnsExpectedResult(a: 5, b: 3, expected: 8)
  [PASS] CalculatorTests.Addition_WithVariousInputs_ReturnsExpectedResult(a: -1, b: 1, expected: 0)
  [PASS] StringTests.Contains_FindsSubstring

Test run completed in 0.15s
Total tests: 5
  Passed: 5

Use Cases

• Learning & Experimentation: Quickly test C# concepts without setting up a full test project
• Script-Based Testing: Create standalone test scripts that can be shared and run easily
• Single-File Deployments: Build self-contained test executables for distribution
• Prototyping: Rapidly prototype and validate code in a single file
• Parallel Testing: Run many test files in completely standalone processes, in parallel

Requirements

• .NET 10.0 or later