Are you really using unit tests? [closed]

Answer 1

Most functions that I write have tests. Like many have said up there, unit testing is an essential part of software engineering. So, to answer your question, yes, I REALLY write and run tests.

Also, with continuous integration, regression tests will be automated and constantly reported.

Answer 2

I know from experience that when I write code without unit tests, I'll get a few issues that come up to fix, but when I've written the unit tests I rarely hear of issues. Also, from time spent writing unit tests I write better code to begin with. I look at methods and think of the ways they could fail and build them from the start not to fail or at least to fail in a better way.

Unit tests ARE essential to writing better code, but it also will make you a better developer because you SEE areas where things could go wrong and fix them before you ever get to testing.

Answer 3

I like Bob Martin's analogy: imagine you're a surgeon. What would you say to a patient who wanted to pay the surgery but told you to skip washing up ahead of time?

When a client hires me to code they are hiring me as a professional, as someone with the skills and discipline of a professional. My job is to give them "code just works as it should", and I know the best way for me to do that is to use TDD.

Answer 4

I do Unit test. I am actully building currently a constraint validation engine and my customers want it bullet proof. Well, without unit test, I would die from stress...

So yes, I use it !

Answer 5

Unit testing is an essential part of development, and (I have found) will actually reduce the time to completion of a project while improving overall quality, especially when done in a TDD fasion.

Answer 6

I often use unit testing for complex mathematical algorithms, for example for functions like LineIntersectsLine where you can define some important examples to test. After that, it is easier to control this function. You can simply rewrite/optimize it and test if it still works, or you can add new tests if you encounter bugs and then try to correct these.