Re: [Boost-users] Library Interface Design

From: Bill Lear (rael_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-09-15 09:09:15

On Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 20:52:09 (-0700) Scott Meyers writes:
>Bill Lear wrote:
>> This is essentially the approach I have taken over the years.  At some
>> point, the unit tests become hopelessly complex, Mock objects begin to
>> weigh development down (if you change the interface, you have to
>> change your mock objects) and a transition is made to higher-level
>> integrated testing.
>
>I assume you always need integrated testing in addition to unit tests, 
>but it sounds like you're saying that at some point, maintaining the 
>unit test framework stops paying for itself, so you abandon it.  Is that 
>correct?

No, just that at some point of complexity, we decide to switch some of
the tests "upward".

So, let's say you have a project divided into a hierarchy:

  A
  B
  C

Where A is lowest level of complexity (basic library code), B
middle layer, C upper layer.

We might have 95% unit test coverage at A, 85% at B, and 75% at C,
with the remainder "covered" by non-unit, externally-driven tests.

Bill