Chapter 4. Building Tests
If you want to refactor, the essential precondition is having solid tests. Even if you are fortunate enough to have a tool that can automate the refactorings, you still need tests. It will be a long time before all possible refactorings can be automated in a refactoring tool.
I don’t see this as a disadvantage. I’ve found that writing good tests greatly speeds my programming, even if I’m not refactoring. This was a surprise for me, and it is counterintuitive for many programmers, so it’s worth explaining why.
The Value of Self-testing Code
If you look at how most programmers spend their time, you’ll find that writing code actually is quite a small fraction. Some time is spent figuring out what ought to be going on, some ...
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