Related: is there a guaranteed execution order of ...

# kotest

[Lukasz Kalnik]

Related: is there a guaranteed execution order of container/contained tests?

[Lukasz Kalnik]

This spec:

FreeSpec({
    isolationMode = IsolationMode.InstancePerRoot
    val sut = MyViewModel()

    "1" - {
        println("1")
        ++sut.counter
        println("Counter: ${sut.counter}")

        "1.1" - {
            println("1.1")
            ++sut.counter
            println("Counter: ${sut.counter}")

            "1.1.1" {
                println("1.1.1")
                ++sut.counter
                println("Counter: ${sut.counter}")
            }
        }

        "1.2" - {
            println("1.2")
            ++sut.counter
            println("Counter: ${sut.counter}")

            "1.2.1" {
                println("1.2.1")
                ++sut.counter
                println("Counter: ${sut.counter}")
            }
        }
    }
})

class MyViewModel {

    var counter: Int = 0
}

[Lukasz Kalnik]

Prints:

1
Counter: 1
1.1
Counter: 2
1.1.1
Counter: 3
1.2.1
Counter: 5
1.2
Counter: 4

[Lukasz Kalnik]

So 1.2. is actually printed after 1.2.1

[Lukasz Kalnik]

I don't have any parallelism set, I'm on Kotest 6.0 and everything is with default settings (apart from InstancePerRoot).

[Lukasz Kalnik]

Or is it just a console artifact, because the counter value is actually increased correctly?

[Alfonso Ristorato]

this is very similar to this issue, it would be good if you could tell us whether you experience the same as what's described there.
As for running your example, when I run it (with the intelliJ plugin) I get:

1
Counter: 1
1.1
Counter: 2
1.1.1
Counter: 3
1.2
Counter: 4
1.2.1
Counter: 5

[Lukasz Kalnik]

I run the test from the gutter icon in Android Studio

[Lukasz Kalnik]

Yes, I just tried the attached "My dummy project" from the issue an I get the same (wrong) order of the println() outputs:

beforeSpec
context1
given1
and1
when1
then1
then2
when2
afterSpec

[Lukasz Kalnik]

I run it from the gutter icon in Android Studio Otter (2025.2.1)

[Alfonso Ristorato]

interesting, it never occurred to me that Android Studio would have a different order. Will check but unfortunately I don't have much experience with the plugin 🙂

[Lukasz Kalnik]

It's not an Android Studio problem

[Lukasz Kalnik]

It's the gutter icon

[Alfonso Ristorato]

that being said, when you actually run the test with gradle (which I suspect is what's important for your pipelines etc) you get the right order?

[Lukasz Kalnik]

When I launch tests from Gradle the order is correct

[Alfonso Ristorato]

yeah the gutter icon, given by the kotest intellij plugin

[Lukasz Kalnik]

MyClassTests STANDARD_OUT
    beforeSpec
    context1

MyClassTests > Context: a broomstick should be able to be fly and come back on it's own STANDARD_OUT
    given1

MyClassTests > Context: a broomstick should be able to be fly and come back on it's own > a broomstick STANDARD_OUT
    and1

MyClassTests > Context: a broomstick should be able to be fly and come back on it's own > a broomstick > And: and STANDARD_OUT
    when1

MyClassTests > Context: a broomstick should be able to be fly and come back on it's own > a broomstick > And: and > When: I sit on it > Then: I should be able to fly STANDARD_OUT
    then1

MyClassTests > Context: a broomstick should be able to be fly and come back on it's own > a broomstick > And: and STANDARD_OUT
    when2

MyClassTests > Context: a broomstick should be able to be fly and come back on it's own > a broomstick > And: and > When: I don't sit on it > Then: I should be able to fly STANDARD_OUT
    then2

MyClassTests STANDARD_OUT
    afterSpec

[Alfonso Ristorato]

cool, then it's clear the issue is the kotest intellij plugin in Android Studio (at least for now)

[Alfonso Ristorato]

assuming you do use the kotest plugin for Android Studio (if that's even a thing)

[Lukasz Kalnik]

Confirm, I just opened the same project in IntelliJ, and there running it with the gutter icon produces correct order of println() outputs

[Lukasz Kalnik]

beforeSpec
context1
given1
and1
when1
then1
when2
then2
afterSpec

[Alfonso Ristorato]

now if you can just confirm whether you use this plugin in both IntelliJ and Android Studio I should be able ti have a full picture 🙂 https://kotest.io/docs/intellij/intellij-plugin.html

[Lukasz Kalnik]

Android Studio:

[Lukasz Kalnik]

In IntelliJ I have the same version

[Alfonso Ristorato]

perfect, I will check this whenever possible, although I'd have to investigate the plugin and android studio (which I rarely use) and might take me time 🙂 - thanks for giving all the context

[Lukasz Kalnik]

You're welcome. Glad I could help!