Docker-based Testing Framework Improvements

This document outlines the improvements made to the Docker-based testing framework for validating shell scripts and dotfiles across different environments.

Issues Fixed

1. `local` Keyword Usage Outside Function

Fixed a syntax error where the local keyword was used outside of a function context:

# Before (incorrect):
for pkg in $packages; do
    local actual_pkg=$(get_package_name "$pkg")
    # ...
done

# After (correct):
for pkg in $packages; do
    actual_pkg=$(get_package_name "$pkg")
    # ...
done

2. Log Directory Handling

Enhanced log directory handling to ensure proper permissions and fallback mechanisms:

Added better error handling for log directory creation and permissions
Added validation to verify write permissions before proceeding
Implemented fallback to /tmp if host volume mounting fails
Added debugging information when log operations fail

3. Package Verification

Improved package detection, especially for packages like cowsay and lolcat that are typically installed in /usr/games/:

Enhanced test_package() function to check in common alternate locations
Added specific handling for packages that may be installed with different paths
Added detailed debugging output for problematic packages

4. Docker Container Configuration

Improved the Docker container configuration for more reliable testing:

Added proper volume mounting with explicit read/write permissions
Added timestamp consistency between host and container
Added container type labels to log files for better tracking
Enhanced error detection for volume mounting issues

Implementation Details

1. Enhanced Logging System

Timestamps are now synchronized between host and container
Log file names include container type (ubuntu/debian) for clarity
Added validation to confirm logs are properly saved to host

2. Container Environment Setup

Improved startup.sh with better diagnostics before running tests
Added permissions verification for mounted volumes
Added write tests to confirm permissions are correctly set

3. Test Framework Improvements

Improved error handling for better diagnostics
Enhanced reporting for package detection issues
Better isolation between test iterations

Running Tests

To run tests with the improved framework:

# Test in Ubuntu container
./run-docker-tests.sh ubuntu

# Test in Debian container
./run-docker-tests.sh debian

The logs will be saved in the ./logs directory with filenames that include the timestamp and container type.

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