Elevator Pitch
Getting started with Test Driven Development can be a challenge. TDD is a discipline, and it takes practice.
If you’ve never tried TDD, I’ve got some ways to help you get started. If you’ve tried it and found it too difficult or too time-consuming to continue, I’ve got some ways to make it easier.
Description
Getting started with Test Driven Development can be a challenge. The first couple tests feel strange. You begin to wonder why, on purpose, are you writing tests that don’t pass? One simple component of your system was pretty easy to write test-first - but now you’ve got some trickier code. How on earth can you know what the tests will look like without writing the code first? Worst of all, the deadline is coming soon, and you’ve been spinning your wheels not even on the feature itself but on TESTS…so you abandon TDD altogether, you don’t have time for it. You’ll write the tests after. Maybe.
This is expected. TDD is a discipline, and it takes practice. It is not easy for anyone, but it is worth the effort. TDD isn’t about code coverage, though that is a nice side-effect. TDD is about the design of your system. It helps you write code that is easier to test, and it gives you confidence that you understand the code you’ve written.
In this session, we’ll talk about the benefits of TDD, and why it is worth the effort. We’ll look at real-life examples in C# and JavaScript. If you’ve never tried TDD, I’ve got some ways to help you get started. If you’ve tried it and found it too difficult or too time-consuming to continue, I’ve got some ways to make it easier.