tf_cc_test vs cc_test in the tensorflow/core/BUILD

I mainly concerned the difference of tf_cc_test and cc_test here.(I'm the new player of bazel due to tensorflow)

I use the following command:

bazel build -c dbg //tensorflow/core:lib_random_weighted_picker_test

to build lib_random_weighted_picker_test, all thing goes well.

while I use

bazel build -c dbg //tensorflow/core:higher_level_tests

to get the test instance about graph_partition_test which is in the tensorflow/core/graph/graph_partition_test.cc, it reported the following error:

ERROR: no such target '//tensorflow/core:higher_level_tests': target 'higher_level_tests' not declared in package 'tensorflow/core' defined by /home/pzz/workspace/tensorflow/tensorflow/core/BUILD. INFO: Elapsed time: 0.151s

And finally I found that I can use bazel build -c dbg //tensorflow/core:graph_graph_partition_test to get the test instance under the graph_partition_test.cc. and all the tests in the higher_level_test can get from the above way.

The higher_level_test is come from the tensorflow/core/BUILD#1705,

1704 tf_cc_tests(
1705     name = "higher_level_tests",
1706     size = "small",
1707     srcs = [
1708         "common_runtime/device_set_test.cc",
1709         "common_runtime/optimization_registry_test.cc",
1710         "common_runtime/pending_counts_test.cc",
1711         "common_runtime/session_test.cc",
1712         "common_runtime/simple_placer_test.cc",
1713         "example/feature_util_test.cc",
1714         "framework/allocator_test.cc",
1715         "framework/attr_value_util_test.cc",
1716         "framework/bfloat16_test.cc",
1717         "framework/cancellation_test.cc",
1718         "framework/common_shape_fns_test.cc",
1719         "framework/function_test.cc",
1720         "framework/graph_def_util_test.cc",
1721         "framework/kernel_def_builder_test.cc",
1722         "framework/memory_types_test.cc",
1723         "framework/node_def_builder_test.cc",
1724         "framework/node_def_util_test.cc",
1725         "framework/op_compatibility_test.cc",

Question: But I still cannot make sense the difference about tf_cc_test and cc_test in the BUILD !! If I want to write some test, which way should I take in the BUILD file?

Any advice will be good, thanks.

Solution

tf_cc_test is a macro that is just a wrapper for cc_test, as Zhenzhong Pan points out.

Concrete location: https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/r1.0/tensorflow/tensorflow.bzl#L321-L332

You can read about build rule macros here: https://bazel.build/versions/master/docs/skylark/macros.html