Tag: TDD

Update your package.json file for better tests

By default Angular gives you a couple of commands to run:

npm run start
npm run build
npm run watch
npm run test

These commands get you up and running, you can run the app in the browser, build the final version and run tests in run once.

I like to add a few more commands to my package.json file, these extra ones are:

npm run test:watch
npm run test:coverage
npm run test:ci
npm run lint

These commands give me more options for running my tests, in watch mode, with code coverage and in both watch mode with code coverage. There is also a linting check, which is always helpful for code quality checks.

The full commands in package.json look like this:

"test:watch": "ng test --watch",
"test:coverage": "ng test --code-coverage",
"lint": "ng lint",
"test:ci": "ng test --watch=true --browsers=ChromeHeadless --code-coverage"

Out of all four new commands the most essential one is the test:ci one, which runs my tests in headless mode (which is great as I don’t want to have the Karma runner opening the browser all the time) gives me an overview of all the code covered by tests.

While something like NX will give you more options and use Jest, being able to run these commands in a Angular CLI based project does make running tests easier leaving no reason not to write tests.

The Benefits of Test-Driven Development

Test-driven development (TDD) is a software development process that relies on writing automated tests before new code is written. The tests are used to ensure that the code meets the requirements of the application.

TDD has a number of benefits, including:

  • Improved quality: TDD can help to improve the quality of software by ensuring that all code is covered by tests. This can help to identify defects early in the development process before they become difficult to fix.
  • Reduced costs: TDD can help to reduce costs by making it easier to refactor code. Refactoring is the process of changing the structure of code without changing its behaviour. With TDD, developers can refactor code with confidence, knowing that the tests will ensure that the changes do not break the application.
  • Increased productivity: TDD can help to increase productivity by making it easier to write code. When developers have a clear understanding of the requirements of an application, they can write code that meets those requirements more quickly.

How to Get Started with TDD

If you are interested in getting started with TDD, there are a few things you can do:

  1. Learn the basics of TDD: There are a number of resources available online and in books that can teach you the basics of TDD.
  2. Find a TDD tool: There are a number of TDD tools available, such as JUnit and NUnit. These tools can help you to write and run tests.
  3. Start with a small project: It is a good idea to start with a small project when you are first getting started with TDD. This will allow you to learn the basics of TDD without feeling overwhelmed.
  4. Get feedback from others: Once you have started using TDD, it is a good idea to get feedback from others. This could include your team members, your manager, or even other developers who are using TDD.

Conclusion

TDD is a powerful tool that can help you to improve quality, reduce costs, and increase the productivity of your software development projects. If you are interested in getting started with TDD, there are a number of resources available to help you.