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Unit Testing - Separation of interface from impl..

Printed From: One Stop Testing
Category: Types Of Software Testing @ OneStopTesting
Forum Name: Unit Testing @ OneStopTesting
Forum Discription: Discuss All that is need to be known about Unit Software Testing and its Tools.
URL: http://forum.onestoptesting.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3606
Printed Date: 17Nov2024 at 12:36am


Topic: Unit Testing - Separation of interface from impl..
Posted By: tanushree
Subject: Unit Testing - Separation of interface from impl..
Date Posted: 12Nov2007 at 11:46pm
Unit Testing - Separation of interface from implementation
Because some classes may have references to other classes, testing a class can frequently spill over into testing another class. A common example of this is classes that depend on a database: in order to test the class, the tester often writes code that interacts with the database. This is a mistake, because a unit test should never go outside of its own class boundary.
As a result, the software developer abstracts an interface around the database connection, and then implements that interface with their own mock object. By abstracting this necessary attachment from the code (temporarily reducing the net effective coupling), the independent unit can be more thoroughly tested than may have been previously achieved. This results in a higher quality unit that is also more maintainable. In this manner, the benefits themselves begin returning dividends back to the programmer creating a seemingly perpetual upward cycle in quality.



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