Unit Test Frameworks

Chapter 2. Getting Started: Tutorial

Software concepts are best explained by example. In this tutorial, you will set up a simple unit test framework and use it to help build a basic application. Following the primary rule of TDD, every change to the code is preceded by a unit test.

Why build our own test framework, instead of starting with one of the xUnits? The xUnit test frameworks are powerful tools. They not only support writing unit tests, running them, and reporting the results, but also include test classes, helper code, test runners, and utilities. Such features minimize the amount of code required to write a unit test and maximize your ability to test complex code. They include much more than the minimum needed to build unit tests.

The core functionality of running tests and reporting the results is fundamentally simple. Developers working in cross-platform environments, using older compilers or uncommon languages or needing closer control over how unit tests and their results are handled may not be able to use the xUnits or want to invest the time to set them up. The proliferation of very basic unit test frameworks available online demonstrates the popular belief that “simpler is better” when it comes to unit test frameworks. Most importantly, creating your own framework clearly demonstrates how unit tests work and how straightforward the unit test framework concept really is.

The example code is given in Java. Appendix A contains the C++ version. The code can be found on ...