Book Image

Test-Driven Java Development, Second Edition - Second Edition

By : Viktor Farcic, Alex Garcia
Book Image

Test-Driven Java Development, Second Edition - Second Edition

By: Viktor Farcic, Alex Garcia

Overview of this book

Test-driven development (TDD) is a development approach that relies on a test-first procedure that emphasizes writing a test before writing the necessary code, and then refactoring the code to optimize it.The value of performing TDD with Java, one of the longest established programming languages, is to improve the productivity of programmers and the maintainability and performance of code, and develop a deeper understanding of the language and how to employ it effectively. Starting with the basics of TDD and understanding why its adoption is beneficial, this book will take you from the first steps of TDD with Java until you are confident enough to embrace the practice in your day-to-day routine.You'll be guided through setting up tools, frameworks, and the environment you need, and we will dive right into hands-on exercises with the goal of mastering one practice, tool, or framework at a time. You'll learn about the Red-Green-Refactor procedure, how to write unit tests, and how to use them as executable documentation.With this book, you'll also discover how to design simple and easily maintainable code, work with mocks, utilize behavior-driven development, refactor old legacy code, and release a half-finished feature to production with feature toggles.You will finish this book with a deep understanding of the test-driven development methodology and the confidence to apply it to application programming with Java.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Title Page
Packt Upsell
Contributors
Preface
9
Refactoring Legacy Code – Making It Young Again
Index

Behavior-driven development


Behavior-driven development (BDD) is an agile process designed to keep the focus on stakeholder value throughout the whole project; it is a form of TDD. Specifications are defined in advance, the implementation is done according to those specifications, and they are run periodically to validate the outcome. Besides those similarities, there are a few differences as well. Unlike TDD, which is based on unit tests, BDD encourages us to write multiple specifications (called scenarios) before starting the implementation (coding). Even though there is no specific rule, BDD tends to levitate towards higher-level functional requirements. While it can be employed at a unit level as well, the real benefits are obtained when taking a higher approach that can be written and understood by everyone. The audience is another difference—BDD tries to empower everyone (coders, testers, managers, end users, business representatives, and so on).

While TDD, which is based on unit level...