Good conversation. One point I think is missing is this: Unit tests make good documentation for individual methods/classes. But, automated functional/acceptance tests make better documentation for the system as a whole. And, yes, I've seen environments where the Fitnesse tests were the documentation for the system. I've also seen STiQ tests used that way (with less success), and WatiN-based NUnit tests (with good success).
Alan On Feb 27, 2011, at 8:08 PM, Michael Ibarra wrote: > Hi Aeden, > > I've never seen tests written and organized well enough to serve as > documentation (for neither developers nor "the business"). However, I do my > best to write and organize my tests to be intention revealing. > > But that's not why I write tests. I write tests primarily because: 1. I want > to make sure that the code I write works the way it's supposed to, 2. I want > to make sure that adding new features doesn't introduce any bugs, 3. I don't > write(and therefore maintain) any more code than is necessary to implement > the feature. 4. I find that writing my tests first helps me write cleaner, > more S.O.L.I.D. code. > > I want other developers to be able to read my tests and understand what my > code does, but that's just a side effect of well written and well organized > tests. > > Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Hope that helps. > > Mike > > 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 > Blah Blah Blah: http://www.twitter.com/daliful > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Seattle area Alt.Net" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/altnetseattle?hl=en. > > > > > -- > ******************************** > Michael Ibarra > [email protected] > @bm2yogi > http://dev.bm2yogi.com > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Seattle area Alt.Net" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/altnetseattle?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seattle area Alt.Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/altnetseattle?hl=en.
