Motley says: "If I write code to pass tests I'm cheating!"

Summary

Motley: Tests need to validate code that has already been written - not the other way around.

Maven: Writing tests before you code allows the tests to drive your code while providing more sound requirements validation.

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[Context: Motley is thinking through test-driven development before he goes off and tries it]

Motley: I've been thinking about this TDD thing and something is weird - if I write code to pass tests that's cheating! Tests need to validate code that has already been written.

Maven: Cheating? Hardly. Your tests are written around the requirements. What's wrong with writing code to execute the requirements? You're actually cheating if you write tests after the code. Now the tests are exercising the code but you are an extra step away from the requirements. Validation that you met the requirements is loose at best.

Motley: But I write my application code to satisfy the requirements. What's the difference?

Maven: The difference is that tests validate that the requirements are met, which is a logical layer between the requirements and the code. It forces you to think about the requirements in greater detail before implementing them. Plus, you get all the other benefits we talked about with TDD.

Motley: Well, maybe, but…

Maven: Just do me a favor and try out TDD for a couple of days, okay?

Motley: Fine, fine, fine. If it gets you off my back. Give me a couple of days to play. Now go make yourself useful and clean up the kitchen or something.

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Maven's Pointer: "Requirements" as described in TDD are usually described at a lower level than you may be used to. A "requirement" is one small nugget of functionality that you want to implement. It may be an entire (simple) method, or one positive or negative path through the method.

Maven's Resources:   Test-Driven Development in Microsoft .NET, by James Newkirk and Alexei Vorontsov, Microsoft Press, ISBN: 0735619484, 2004.