Re:How I Write Tests
by aisofteng on Monday January 02, 2017 @05:01AM
(#13300225)
With the caveat that I haven't invested the full amount of time necessary to strongly state this opinion publicly, I do feel that metaprogrammed tests are a case of adding abstraction unnecessarily (which, incidentally, is why I haven't taken the time to try to extensively use them on a project.)
A test should be dead simple to read and understand when someone else new to the project needs to understand what it tests. Further, when a test fails, the output should clearly indicate exactly on what line of code an error occurred.
Metaprogramming tests feels to me like a case of a desire for or predilection for cleverness getting in the way of what the task is actually for.
Tests should tell a story. They should not be subjected to the same methods of abstraction used in the code they themselves are supposed to test and verify.
A test should be dead simple to read and understand when someone else new to the project needs to understand what it tests. Further, when a test fails, the output should clearly indicate exactly on what line of code an error occurred.
Metaprogramming tests feels to me like a case of a desire for or predilection for cleverness getting in the way of what the task is actually for.
Tests should tell a story. They should not be subjected to the same methods of abstraction used in the code they themselves are supposed to test and verify.