A lightweight test repository suggestion for Bayesflow for minimal and quick testing with branches and special test files

[SermetPekin]

Lightweight Testing Repository Proposal

I'd like to suggest creating a minimal testing repository for quick validation outside the main BayesFlow repo.

Problem: Current comprehensive tests consume significant resources and time, making rapid development iterations challenging.

Solution: A lightweight testing setup that allows developers to:

• Test specific changes quickly before full CI/CD
• Validate across multiple platforms (Ubuntu, Mac, Windows)
• Target specific Python versions (3.10.8, 3.11.2, etc.)
• Run focused tests rather than the entire suite

Proof of Concept

This repository demonstrates a GitHub workflow that:

• Clones any BayesFlow branch (or other repositories)
• Runs targeted tests across multiple platforms and Python versions
• Provides fast feedback for development

Repository: https://github.com/SermetPekin/bayesflow-light-tests

Current Use Case: Successfully reproduces issue #591, demonstrating practical value for debugging and validation.

This approach complements rather than replaces comprehensive testing, offering developers a faster feedback loop during development.

[SermetPekin]

[LarsKue]

Thank you for the suggestion! I agree that we could improve the current tests and workflows. I think integrating the input functionalities into BayesFlow's test suite should be rather straight-forward. Unfortunately, I am currently hard-pressed to allocate time for this. Could you @SermetPekin draft a pull request for the dev branch that adds this manual workflow dispatch (on top of the current automated tests)?

[SermetPekin]

@LarsKue absolutely :)