Presenter

Presenter: Jan Wilhelm Gartner

Testing Strategies for OpenFOAM and FAIR4RS Principles

 

Ensuring the reliability, reproducibility, and long-term sustainability of scientific software is becoming increasingly essential as computational research grows in complexity and scale. OpenFOAM, as one of the most widely used open-source CFD frameworks, provides immense flexibility, but this flexibility also increases the need for robust testing practices and transparent, reproducible research workflows. This workshop, “Testing Strategies for OpenFOAM and FAIR4RS Principles,” introduces participants to modern methodologies for improving software quality and reproducibility in the OpenFOAM ecosystem. The first part of the workshop focuses on testing strategies, following concepts outlined in the paper Testing Strategies for OpenFOAM of Gartner et al..

Participants will learn why testing and testable code are critical for maintaining correctness, facilitating extension, and supporting collaborative development. We will introduce different categories of tests – static tests, unit tests, regression tests, and integration tests – and define each within the specific context of OpenFOAM’s architecture and solver development. After a conceptual introduction, participants will gain handson experience integrating testing frameworks into an example solver, including configuring static tests in git and setting up a unit-testing workflow using Catch2. By the end of this module, attendees will understand how systematic testing increases confidence in new models, reduces maintenance burden, and enables more robust community contributions.

The second part of the workshop introduces the FAIR Principles for Research Software (FAIR4RS), emphasizing their relevance for computational research and community-driven software such as OpenFOAM. We will discuss what it means for research software to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, and highlight practical mechanisms to support these goals. A major emphasis will be placed on reproducibility: participants will explore different strategies for capturing and recreating computational environments, including Docker and related containerisation tools, while also discussing their limitations—for example, challenges associated with multi-node or HPC deployments.

The workshop will then demonstrate practical steps to enhance reproducibility in OpenFOAM workflows, such as embedding git version information into solver log files, managing dependencies, and documenting computational setups to enable long-term replicability. 1 By combining theoretical foundations with practical exercises, this workshop equips participants with actionable skills to improve software quality, reproducibility, and sustainability in their OpenFOAM development projects. Researchers, developers, and advanced users will leave with a clearer understanding of how to incorporate testing frameworks, adopt reproducible workflows, and align their software practices with the FAIR4RS principles.