SupportingUnitTest

Last edit March 19, 2003
You find an error during FunctionalTesting. Rather than just fix it, you:
  • Pinpoint it in the code
  • Write the unit test that doesn't run, but if it did you believe the functional error will be resolved
  • Make the UnitTest work
  • Re-run the FunctionalTest to be sure the error is resolved

This is better than simply fixing the FunctionalTest, because:
  1. You are more focused when fixing the defect. You have to make a specific, concrete hypothesis about the source of the error. You can't just go around adding one and negating until the functional test runs.
  2. You now have a UnitTest (likely to be run more often than a FunctionalTest) that will blow up if the error recurs


CategoryTesting