Testing, A Developer’s POV
When do you test, how do you test, why do you test? Or even do you test?
The answers to the first two questions are: “all the time,” and “as completely as possible.” The third question has several, longer, answers. And if you answered “No” to the last question, perhaps those answers will be of use to you.
A first, and rather flippant, answer is “so I know when I’m done.” But even this answer has depth. I don’t just mean, “I got all the bugs, so I can quit.” Whether I’m working off a highly detailed spec, or a back-of-the-napkin sketch I did over dinner, the tests I write will reflect exactly what the object’s supposed to do. (more…)