sub pre_test : Test(setup) {
    # add objects to the database
}

sub get_objects : Tests {
    # get the objects and test 'em
}

sub post_test : Test(teardown) {
    # clean the database
}
[download]

Here's how to replicate this:

The base class:

package TestBase;

use base 'Test::Class';

INIT { Test::Class->runtests }

1;
[download]

A parent class with tests:

package Foo;

use Test::More;
use lib '.';
use base 'TestBase';

sub setup : Tests(setup => 1) {
    ok 1, 'Foo:  should be called first';
}

sub some_test : Tests(1) {
    ok 1, 'Foo:  some test';
}

sub not_overridden : Tests(1) {
    ok 1, "Let's hope this isn't dependent on Foo's setup method";
}

1;
[download]

And a subclass:

package Bar;

use Test::More;
use lib '.';
use base 'Foo';

sub setup : Tests(setup => 1) {
    ok 1, 'Bar: should be called second';
}

sub some_test : Tests(1) {
    ok 1, 'Bar:  some test';
}

1;
[download]

If you execute the subclass, Bar, you get the following:

1..8
ok 1 - Bar: should be called second
ok 2 - Let's hope this isn't dependent on Foo's setup method
ok 3 - Bar: should be called second
ok 4 - Bar:  some test
ok 5 - Foo:  should be called first
ok 6 - Let's hope this isn't dependent on Foo's setup method
ok 7 - Foo:  should be called first
ok 8 - Foo:  some test
ok
All tests successful.
Files=1, Tests=8,  0 wallclock secs ( 0.11 cusr +  0.02 csys =  0.12 C
+PU)
[download]

What's happening is that every test class is loaded and the Test::Class->runtests in the base class is running every test class but we can see that when Bar is run, Foo's setup method is not called and this seems like a mistake since the parent setup methods are often setting up things that their methods require. The solution almost looks like:

sub setup : Tests(setup => 1) {
    my $test = shift;
    $test->SUPER::setup;
    ok 1, 'Bar: should be called second';
}
[download]

That doesn't work because I've declared a test count for each setup method and that throws my test count off (running two tests instead of one). Does this look like a bug in Test::Class or have I missed something here?

Update: you can get the superclass setup methods to be called if if you don't override them by providing a subclass method of the same name, but then they're called in alphabetical order. As I've painfully discovered, that breaks things if your subclass setup method relies on something your superclass setup method creates.