Thanks for the replies everyone. I'd like to dive a little deeper, if
only, for my own understanding. I've heard the slogan thrown around a
lot without a lot of explanation so I'm wondering about the details
behind the responses.
What contexts are tests as documenation "good"/ "helpful" etc... for?
* Learning a new system was mentioned, but that can't be the only
of source of learning. What does one learn from the documenation and
with
respect to what learning goals?
* Peronsally it's been helpful in situtations where I'm
diagnosing an unmet expectation. In that capacity tests as
documentation offer functional explanation.
-
What other kinds of explanation/understanding/learning do tests as
documentation offer or don't?
* As for learning a new system goes, tests as documentation don't
offer historical explanation. For example,
the roads not taken which helps paint the pictue of why the
system is the way that it is.
Lastly, does anyone know of any studies on this issue? Either
specifically or suggestive of the purported benefits.
Cheers,
Aeden
On Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 10:11 PM, Tegan Mulholland
<[email protected]> wrote:
> If I'm trying to understand a new code base, I look for the tests first. If
> they're clearly named and, for non unit tests, broken down into well-named
> methods or classes, it's very helpful. Badly organized tests not so much.
> Tests can't replace documentation that's not written for devs or that's at a
> very high overview level, but they're definitely still useful documentation
> in their own right.
>
> Tegan
> On Feb 27, 2011, at 9:46 PM, Adron Hall <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Specifications are great, tests or so so, especially how they end up written
> sometimes (i.e. with zero explanation)
> If a test covers a single unit, is well put together, and well named, it's
> generally the best documentation to have - it describes what's going on and
> proves it to boot.
> However, this rarely happens. :(
> -Adron
>
> On Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 7:13 PM, Aeden Jameson <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>>
>> I'm curious how much stock people on this list put in the idea that
>> tests serve as documentation.
>>
>> --
>> Cheers,
>> Aeden
>>
>> Blog : http://aedenjameson.blogspot.com/
>> Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/aedenjameson
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>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Adron B Hall
>
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