Comments on: ‘Vice’ Testing http://lostechies.com/seanchambers/2009/04/22/vice-testing/ Just another LosTechies site Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: No More Hacks http://lostechies.com/seanchambers/2009/04/22/vice-testing/#comment-298 No More Hacks Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:38:15 +0000 /blogs/sean_chambers/archive/2009/04/21/vice-testing.aspx#comment-298 This is a nice idea. It does require you to own both ends of the code so you can inject the logging "hooks". If you were working with a closed application that needed testing, you could write an application that sits entirely outside and listens to the log file; then when you get to the "assert" part of your test you see what comes out. In a way this is something like mocking, in a horrible way; rather than asserting on "nouns" (i.e., the internal state of the system under test), you look at what "verbs" the SUT has experienced. It is also not unlike the test coverage profiling tools; if every log statement in the SUT code has been fired, you've probably tested all of it! It is sort of the converse of pseudo-automated testing like this http://nomorehacks.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/having-trouble-automating-your-tests-then-dont/ This is a nice idea. It does require you to own both ends of the code so you can inject the logging “hooks”. If you were working with a closed application that needed testing, you could write an application that sits entirely outside and listens to the log file; then when you get to the “assert” part of your test you see what comes out. In a way this is something like mocking, in a horrible way; rather than asserting on “nouns” (i.e., the internal state of the system under test), you look at what “verbs” the SUT has experienced.

It is also not unlike the test coverage profiling tools; if every log statement in the SUT code has been fired, you’ve probably tested all of it!

It is sort of the converse of pseudo-automated testing like this http://nomorehacks.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/having-trouble-automating-your-tests-then-dont/

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