Filtering specs: running a subset

Ginkgo offers many ways to run fewer specs, ad-hoc (Pending/Skip/Focus) and structured (labels, semver, file/description filters). They combine by a strict precedence (see bottom). Decorator specifics live in ginkgo:decorators; label-driven CI in ginkgo:ci. Docs: https://onsi.github.io/ginkgo/#filtering-specs.

Pending, compile-time skip, uncoercible

Marks a spec/container as under development. Nothing can override Pending and make it run, not focus, not labels.

It("needs work", Pending, func() { ... })
It("placeholder", Pending)            // pending specs need no closure
PDescribe("not ready", func() { ... }) // == Describe(..., Pending); X-prefix is identical
PIt(...) / XIt(...) / PEntry(...)

Pending specs don't fail the suite. ginkgo --fail-on-pending makes them fail CI, a policy that pending specs shouldn't be committed. Pending is compile-time only; you cannot make a spec pending at runtime, for that, use Skip.

Skip, runtime skip

Call Skip("reason") from any subject or setup node to skip during the run phase. It panics to halt the spec (like Fail) and records the reason; it does not fail the suite (even skipping every spec passes).

It("if it can", func() {
	if !someCondition { Skip("special condition wasn't met") }
	...
})

Scope matters: in a BeforeEach it skips the current spec; in a BeforeAll it skips all specs in the Ordered container; in a BeforeSuite it skips the entire suite. You cannot call Skip in a container body, it only applies during the run phase.

Focus, programmatic, for iterating (don't commit it)

When any spec is focused, Ginkgo runs only focused specs.

FIt("just me", func() { ... })   // or It(..., Focus, ...)
FDescribe(...) / FContext(...) / FEntry(...)