From: Tom Cloyd <tomcloyd@...>
Date: 2009-02-28T15:27:38+09:00
Subject: Re: conversion aid for 1.8.7 to 1.9.x transition?

Bill Kelly wrote:
>
> From: "Tom Cloyd" <tomcloyd@comcast.net>
>>
>>> [...] It's be comforting to know that when the time comes there's 
>>> some quick way to flag the areas of my code that need attention if 
>>> they're to run OK in 1.9. Yeah, it's be great if I had a test suite. 
>>> but honestly, it's all I can do to get the code together in the 
>>> first place. Tests are high on my todo list, but my need for my 
>>> current project is higher by far, and I'm close to having a complete 
>>> function set, so tests aren't on the menu today.
> [...]
>> Surely one doesn't just launch the boat and hope there are no leaks, 
>> yes? There has to be a better way.
>
> I doubt this is the answer you were hoping for.  But deferring
> writing tests is not generally a strategy for completing a
> working project sooner.
>
> If your need for your current project is high, having a
> supporting network of unit tests continually verifying that
> your features are still working _as you develop_ new features,
> is a way to go faster over time, not slower.
>
> One effective strategy for not falling behind in writing tests,
> is to write a small test first (!) to verify a bit of
> functionality you are about to implement in code.
>
> For more info, see "Test-Driven Development Cycle", at:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test-driven_development
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Bill
>
>
>
>
Bill, Jeff - thanks. Your responses are genuinely helpful to me. I'm 
highly educated in some fields, but not in this one, so I'm often in 
need of guidance. I've wondered if I might have made a strategic error 
by deciding to defer testing, especially when I implement a new feature 
and then have to throw a bunch of ad-hoc tests at the code to make sure 
I'm still advancing on all fronts. OK, I get the message. Changing 
strategies, tonight. Sigh. I hope test writing goes faster than 
generating the core code (which, being Ruby, really has gone rather 
smoothly).

Thanks again (he says with some chagrin).

t.

-- 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Cloyd, MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist
Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226
<< tc@tomcloyd.com >> (email)
<< TomCloyd.com >> (website) 
<< sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~