How has test first development changed the way you write software?

Posted by Toran Billups on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by Toran Billups
Published on 2010-04-13T16:00:47Z Indexed on 2010/04/13 16:03 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 277

Filed under:

TDD

|

test-first

I've started to find that I can't write software without writing a test first. I ask this subjective question because I want to hear what others in the community think about the reasons I can't go back to writing production code without a test first.

If you can't write a test for something you don't understand it
Without a regression test you can't clean the code
You are going to test it anyway, spend the time to do it right
Evolutionary design is possible without fear
You actually write less code yourself
Fast feedback cycles save time and money
Job security (less bugs makes your boss happy)
It actually makes my work more enjoyable

© Stack Overflow or respective owner

Related posts about TDD

TDD - How to start really thinking TDD?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I have been reading about Agile, XP methodologies and TDDs. I have been in projects which states it needs to do TDD, but most of the tests are somehow integration tests or during the course of project TDD is forgotten in effort to finish codes faster. So, as far as my case goes, I have written unit… >>> More
Are "TDD Tests" different to Unit Tests?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
I read this article about TDD and unit testing: http://stephenwalther.com/blog/archive/2009/04/11/tdd-tests-are-not-unit-tests.aspx I think it was an excellent article. The author makes a distinction between what he calls "TDD Tests" and unit testing. They appear to be different tests to him. Previous… >>> More
Doing TDD Silverlight 4 RC using Visual Studio 2010 RC

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
First I am glad to see better TDD support in VS2010. Support for generating code stubs from my tests is ok - not as good as more mature TDD plug-ins but a good start. I am looking for some best Silverlight 4.0 TDD practices. First Question: Anyone have links, recommendations? I know the new Silverlight… >>> More
Applying Test Driven Development to a tightly coupled architecture

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Hi all, I've recently been studying TDD, attended a conference and have dabbled in few tests and already I'm 100% sold, I absolutely love it TDD. As a result I've raised this with my seniors and they are prepared to give it a chance, so they have tasked me with coming up with a way to implement… >>> More
Integrating JavaScript Unit Tests with Visual Studio

as seen on Stephen Walter - Search for 'Stephen Walter'
Modern ASP.NET web applications take full advantage of client-side JavaScript to provide better interactivity and responsiveness. If you are building an ASP.NET application in the right way, you quickly end up with lots and lots of JavaScript code. When writing server code, you should be writing… >>> More

Related posts about test-first

Tips and tricks for test-first development.

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Just read this blog post - Help! I’m Terrible At Migrating/Restructuring Code In A Test-First Manner. I've had similar experiences, and thought I'd try an open it up to the wider community ... >>> More
Test-First development tool for SQL Server 2005?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
For several years I have been using a testing tool called qmTest that allows me to do test-driven database development for some Firebird databases. I write a test for a new feature (table, trigger, stored procedure, etc.) until it fails, then modify the database until the test passes. If necessary… >>> More
Visual Studio Service Pack 1 - Test first!

as seen on ASP.net Weblogs - Search for 'ASP.net Weblogs'
It appears that our run of fairly benign VS SP’s is over… I've now installed the VS 2010 SP1 in a few simple test environments (x64) and all of them are having issues. Add-in failures, failed package loading, missing SQL Intellisense, XAML designer failure, etc. Make sure you test this Service… >>> More
Test first subnode from node.

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
XML: <cont> <mode> <submode>lorem ipsum</submode> <submode>lorem ipsum</submode> <submode>lorem ipsum</submode> <submode>lorem ipsum</submode> <submode>lorem ipsum</submode> … >>> More
How to do test-first development with MVVM

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
How do you build WPF MVVM applications and user controls test-first? I find myself writing ungodly amounts of XAML with DataTemplates before I even get to unit-testing my viewmodels. Should I develop the whole viewmodel system first before even writing XAML for it? Any help appreciated. >>> More