Mock objects

Unit tests follow a simple pattern. First, you create a controlled environment for the function or class you want to test. Afterwards, you call a function or method of an object or create a new instance. Finally, you assert that the function returns the expected value or the state of your object has changed as desired. Sometimes, though, tests seem to grow unnaturally large because it is ridiculously difficult to control the environment.

Quite often the issue is that the code you would like to test is too specialized to be easily testable. In this article we will learn about how interfaces and mock objects can be used to enhance the testability of your code and make it easier to reuse.

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Unit tests

Most programmers have heard of unit tests. Many programmers regularly write unit tests, even though it should be all of them. Some even work with test-driven development, and this should be all of them, too. So, what are unit tests? Unit tests are the safety net which protects you from fixing critical bugs in the night after the release. They are your code’s lawyers and prove its innocence. Unit tests form the shiny armor which gives you courage before the battle of refactoring. Unit tests are the pillow which lets you find an untroubled sleep. In short, unit tests are invaluable tools for software development. This article presents some strategies how unit tests can be implemented in C++.

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Foobar names

foobar is a term one often encounters when searching the web for tutorials on programming. What it is supposed to mean is not really clear; some people, though, claim that it stems from the German word furchtbar, which translates as horrible. I am no authority on etymology, but whenever I see a tutorial using foo and bar as variable names, I think furchtbar is quite fitting.

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