This is a simple tool to execute tests and show a red or green background in a terminal. It is meant to be used in TDD sessions in a Coding Dojo.

You will need to install the Go tools to compile redgreen from source. Next, use the go tool to download, compile and install redgreen:

$ go get github.com/rhcarvalho/redgreen

The main purpose of redgreen is to show a red background color when tests fail and green when they pass.

By default, starting redgreen will run go test in the current directory and will rerun the test command every time a file changes, updating the background color accordingly.

You can specify a different test command by passing positional arguments:

$ redgreen go test
$ redgreen nosetests
$ redgreen rake test

It is recommend to run redgreen in a small terminal window configured as Always on Top. For example, on GNOME Terminal, right-click anywhere in the middle of the terminal screen and uncheck the box Show Menubar, then click on the window title bar and choose Always on Top. Resize the window to a small size and drag it to a corner where it doesn't bother the view to your code editor.

If you are a tmux user you can split your terminal and see code and test status in a single window, like the screenshot above:

$ tmux new-session \; set status off \; split-window -hp 20 redgreen \; last-pane

You can use any other way to split your terminal window or organize your windows to add redgreen to your testing flow.

To stop redgreen and exit, press the Esc key.