Lessons Learned From 10 Years Of Testing

Slides of a talk I gave at Symfony Live Berlin on October 27, 2017

Transcript

1. Lessons Learned From Ten Years Of Testing © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 1
2. TL;DR -- Tests are made of people! © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 2
3. This talk contains no code or tests (Sorry, not sorry) © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 3
4. December 2002 I am six months into working on a poorly-constructed dating web application where he made most of the mistakes himself with the help of other people who didn't know any better © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 4
5. Formula for burnout — super-long commute — "mandatory" overtime © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 5
6. The Launch Crashed Hard — so many assumptions were wrong © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 6
7. "Hey Chris, I think you should read this!" © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 7
8. It was the moment that changed everything for me © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 8
9. It was the moment that changed everything for me Not even remotely kidding © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 9
10. So what were the tools? — SimpleTest — Lots of swearing © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 10
11. PHPUnit hadn't even been released yet! © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 11
12. So li!le PHP-specific testing info was available Caused much sadness © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 12
13. Lesson Number One Having one person enthusiastic about writing tests simply isn't enough © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 13
14. Cowboy Testing For Anger And Sadness You can start off being the only one writing tests... © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 14
15. Cowboy Testing For Anger And Sadness ...but company culture might make you regret it © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 15
16. Tests will continue until bugs no longer happen Much complaining ensued (a common theme continuing to present-day) © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 16
17. Tests will continue until bugs no longer happen — Tests got written — I started getting more interested in the process — Lost a political struggle to get the job I wanted so I left © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 17
18. Early 2006... My gateway into OSS... and tests... and how to be a difficult person... and how to deal with difficult people... was via the CakePHP project © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 18
19. Lesson Number Two Tests for a project mean that at least somebody used to care at some point about what they were doing © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 19
20. — tests provide windows into bugs — tests are still written by people — people are willing to argue about everything and anything © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 20
21. Tests driven by bug fixes help find all the weird decisions you made but don't remember why © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 21
22. They also show you how to actually use the code © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 22
23. Think of them as stealth documentation © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 23
24. But tests are written by people, and bad tests happen. © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 24
25. Critics like to use this as evidence that tests don't work. © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 25
26. They are wrong. © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 26
27. I spent some years in the wilderness © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 27
28. I started to really learn about testing © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 28
29. Lesson Number 3 People struggle to learn about testing without help © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 29
30. — TDD examples are way too simple — People seek shortcuts to solutions — Repeating theme - people want to argue about tools and techniques © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 30
31. TDD isn't simple because testing isn't simple © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 31
32. And your code isn't simple © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 32
33. It's way more important to teach people about tools and techniques © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 33
34. Then they can apply them to their own code © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 34
35. So you might snort at yet-another- FizzBuzz example © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 35
36. But if you're not paying a!ention to the PROCESS you will miss out © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 36
37. Testing is something that cannot be learned in isolation © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 37
38. Testing IS code wri!en for a SPECIFIC PURPOSE © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 38
39. I am changing what I teach © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 39
40. It's no longer enough to just show people how to use the tools © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 40
41. You have to show them where, and when, and why to use them © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 41
42. Desperately Seeking Shortcuts — "I'd be finished with this task if I didn't have to write the tests!!!" © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 42
43. There are no shortcuts © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 43
44. Just lots and lots of work to try and create things with the fewest bugs possible © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 44
45. I started writing books and giving lots of talks © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 45
46. Lesson Number 4 All these testing problems and techniques were solved back in the 1970's © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 46
47. GO BUY THIS BOOK © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 47
48. All the techniques we argue about today were invented in the 1970's and 1980's © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 48
49. Programmer hubris led many to think they were the first to figure it out © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 49
50. Lesson Number 5 The problem is people © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 50
51. Programming-related discussions turn toxic very easily... © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 51
52. ...just like every other discussion online © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 52
53. Your best weapon against toxicity is EMPATHY © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 53
54. Testing your code requires you to change how you write your code © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 54
55. People do not like this © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 55
56. People like to change WHAT THEY USE but NOT HOW THEY USE IT © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 56
57. Funny how the quest for the new and shiny never seems to include tools help them make things bug free © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 57
58. Shameless Plugs My name is Chris Hartjes — Staff Test Engineer at Mozilla (focussed on services) — Twitter performance artist -> @grmpyprogrammer — Buy my stuff at https://grumpy-learning.com © Chris Hartjes @grmpyprogrammer - Symfony Live Berlin (Oktober 27, 2017) 58