Would it not be simpler to simply set an environment variable in the test environment, and let its absence serve as a flag to the tests themselves to voluntarily exit?

Simply make sure every test method first does this -- or calls a method designed to do this -- and the tests will govern themselves.

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;

my $TestFlag = $ENV{'TEST_ENVIRONMENT'};
if (!defined $TestFlag) { $TestFlag = ''; }

if ($TestFlag =~ /TRUE/i)
{
    print "I'm running tests!  I'm running tests!\n";
}
else
{
    print "This does not appear to be a test environment.  Skipping te
+sts.\n";
}

exit;

__END__

S:\Steve\Dev\PerlMonks\P-2014-04-02@1516-Self-Governing-Tests>set TEST
+_ENVIRONMENT=TRUE

S:\Steve\Dev\PerlMonks\P-2014-04-02@1516-Self-Governing-Tests>perl may
+betest.pl
I'm running tests!  I'm running tests!

S:\Steve\Dev\PerlMonks\P-2014-04-02@1516-Self-Governing-Tests>set TEST
+_ENVIRONMENT=

S:\Steve\Dev\PerlMonks\P-2014-04-02@1516-Self-Governing-Tests>perl may
+betest.pl
This does not appear to be a test environment.  Skipping tests.

S:\Steve\Dev\PerlMonks\P-2014-04-02@1516-Self-Governing-Tests>

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In reply to Re: Run certain tests automatically using Test::Class by marinersk
in thread Run certain tests automatically using Test::Class by moez507

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