[Pkg-emacsen-addons] Bug#883438: ert-helper.el does not execute configured alternative for (ert-run-tests-batch-and-exit)

[Nicholas D Steeves]

Package: dh-elpa
Version: 1.11~bpo9+1
Severity: important

Hi Sean,

This bug specifically addresses the persistence of '--eval
\(ert-run-tests-batch-and-exit\)'.  It is currently blocking my
attempts to run ert tests through ert-runner rather than directly with
ert-run-tests-batch-and-exit.  It affects elpy, ert-runner (and
several of its dependencies), and self-tests for other packages from
http://github.com/rejeep.

I upgraded the severity of this bug, because I believe we're in
agreement about how debian/ert-runner.el is supposed to allow
overriding of --eval \(ert-run-tests-batch-and-exit\).  Feel free to
downgrade the severity as appropriate.  I think the existence
ert-helper.el is supposed to override the entire dh_elpa_test: emacs
-batch -Q -l...--eval \(run-self-test-function\) command, but I could
be wrong.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Pick a package that has ert tests.
2. echo '(exit)' > debian/ert-helper.el
   * or try another function like (pwd)
   * or try a specific function defined in tests/*.el
3. build the package
4. Observer how '--eval \(ert-run-tests-batch-and-exit\)' is always executed

Expected behaviour:

(exit) executes rather than (ert-run-tests-batch-and-exit)

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 9.1
  APT prefers stable-debug
  APT policy: (500, 'stable-debug'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 4.4.102.20171125 (SMP w/4 CPU cores; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=en_CA.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_CA.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=en_CA:en (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages dh-elpa depends on:
ii  debhelper               10.2.5
ii  dh-make-perl            0.94
ii  emacs25                 25.1+1-4+deb9u1
ii  libarray-utils-perl     0.5-1
ii  libconfig-tiny-perl     2.23-1
ii  libdebian-source-perl   0.94
ii  libdpkg-perl            1.18.24
ii  libfile-find-rule-perl  0.34-1
ii  libtext-glob-perl       0.10-1
ii  perl                    5.24.1-3+deb9u2

dh-elpa recommends no packages.

dh-elpa suggests no packages.

-- no debconf information

Regards,
Nicholas