About
Exploring Solution Spaces, Keith Ray's blog on Software development and other topics.

Send comments to:
keithray@mac.com

For Agile Training, eLearning, or Coaching contact:

Industrial Logic, Inc.

866-540-8336 (toll free)

510-540-8336 (Berkeley, California)

Links

xpminifaq

Résumé

“Adopting XP” Article 2002 (pdf)

“ Refactoring” Article 2006

AYE Conference

Lucien W. Dupont

Elisabeth Hendrickson

Johanna Rothman's Managing Product Development

Brian Marick's Exploration Through Example

Esther Derby's Insights You Can Use

Laurent Bossavit's Incipient(thoughts)

Dale Emery's Conversations with Dale

Martin Fowler's Bliki

Creating Passionate Users

Archives

Subscribe
RSS Exploring Solution Spaces XML

Don't Let Your Programmer Tests Turn Into Fairy Tales

Maybe you start out with:

void testLittleRedRidingHood()
{
    LittleGirl child = new LittleRedRidingHood();
    assertTrue(child.hasHood());
}

but then you add something more

void testLittleRedRidingHood()
{
    LittleGirl child = new LittleRedRidingHood();
    assertTrue(child.hasHood());
    assertTrue(child.hasBasket());
    Basket basket = child.getBasket();
    assertTrue(basket.hasGoodies()); 
        // we're kind of drifting away from LittleRedRidingHood now...
}

and more

void testLittleRedRidingHood()
{
    LittleGirl child = new LittleRedRidingHood();
    assertTrue(child.hasHood());
    assertTrue(child.hasBasket());
    Basket basket = child.getBasket();
    assertTrue(basket.hasGoodies());
    Wolf wolf = new BigBadWolf(); 
        // now we're really going astray...
    assertTrue(wolf.hasBigTeeth());
}

If your programmer test (a.k.a. "unit test") is telling a long story, it's probably is too long, not focused enough.

Step Into Your Agile Groove With Industrial Logic’s Greatest Hits

[/docs] permanent link