September 2024 Edition: How TDD and Unit Tests Go Hand-in-hand, Actionable Tips From TDD Experts & Upcoming Events for TDD Practitioners

Hello TDD Enthusiasts,??

Did you digest our last TDD Digest? We hope so!

This month, we're diving deep into the TDD-unit test relationship. Plus, we've got insights from TDD experts and conference details to help you develop your TDD skills.

Let’s get started!

?? Topic of the Month: TDD and Its Relation With Unit Tests

With TDD, the programmer writes a test for a tiny bit of functionality, sees it fail, writes the code that makes it pass, and then moves on to the next tiny bit of functionality

In Test-Driven Development (TDD), unit tests are at the core of the practice's functions.

1. TDD is built on unit tests—small, isolated tests that validate specific functions. Before starting with the code, developers start with writing unit tests for functions, which later help in shaping code only.
2. This in turn helps in ensuring that every individual part of the system works as intended, leading to fewer integration issues later.
3. When developers follow TDD, unit tests are run on a loop, so that new changes don’t break existing things. Over time, this gives confidence in the codebase's stability.
4. And when developers are working on designing tests before code—it results in more cleaner, and maintainable code over time.

?? Highlighted Experts' Posts on TDD

• Adam Tornhill– "Investing in code quality is an investment in your software's future."

Adam Tornhill suggests that high-quality code is essential for modern software development. Studies show that well-written code leads to faster development, reduced costs, and improved team efficiency.

Read it here

• Valentina Jemuovic – “TDD is not about testing, it's about development.”

Valentina argues that when a dev practices TDD, he exposes a behavioural logic of that app to be tested. And that should justify that tests aren't written because devs are doing the job of QA, but to drive implementation of behavior.

Read it here

• Pramod Surya – "Starting with tests keeps developers focused "

Pramod Surya draws an interesting comparison between TDD and BDD, which are often seen as rivals in software testing and are complementary approaches.

Read it here

• Antony Marcano– "There’s more to TDD than the red-green-refactor cycle”

Antony Marcano highlights the importance of other more important and less talked about TDD concepts here: Outside-in TDD and Double-loop TDD.

Read it here

?? Upcoming Events and Webinars

• "Pacific NW Software Quality Conference"

Date: October, Portland

This is the 42nd year of this conference with its core focus this time on AI and its use in improving the software quality.

Register here

• "Agile Testing Days"

Date: November 19-22, 2024, Berlin

If you’re after all things agile, then this one’s for you. It caters to all topics like automation, software testing, CD, DevOps, AI, etc, and is suitable for all practitioners in the software development field.

Register here

• "Practical Test-Driven Development for Java Programmers"

Date: Free to access, available online

This is an amazing course that uses JUnit and helps you to learn hands-on how to practice TDD in Java, using the same foundational principle of the red-green-refactor lifecycle.

Register here

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