Test Driven: Practical TDD and Acceptance TDD for Java Developers

by Lasse Koskela

In test driven development, you first write an executable test of what your application code must do. Only then do you write the code itself and, with the test spurring you on, you improve your design. In acceptance test driven development (ATDD), you use the same technique to implement product features, benefiting from iterative development, rapid feedback cycles, and better-defined requirements. TDD and its supporting tools and techniques lead to better software faster.

Test Driven brings under one cover practical TDD techniques distilled from several years of community experience. With examples in Java and the Java EE environment, it explores both the techniques and the mindset of TDD and ATDD. It uses carefully chosen examples to illustrate TDD tools and design patterns, not in the abstract but concretely in the context of the technologies you face at work. It is accessible to TDD beginners, and it offers effective and less well known techniques to older TDD hands.

Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

What's Inside


Learn hands-on to test drive Java code
How to avoid common TDD adoption pitfalls
Acceptance test driven development and the Fit framework
How to test Java EE components-Servlets, JSPs, and Spring Controllers
Tough issues like multithreaded programs and data access code

Genres: Programming, Software, Computer Science, Technology, Technical, Nonfiction, Reference

513 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2007

Reviews

[Henrik Dohlmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional! My copy is stock full of bookmarks.

[Moayad · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS BASED SOLELY ON CHAPTER 2, and so I cannot give it 5 stars.

I have read the second chapter of this book as part of a course assignment and it was delightful! I may be bias towards my judgement, due to the fondness I have for testing, but the book is written beautifully and is quite simple and very much understandable. One of the thing I appreciated most in the chapter I read was the teaching by example; The author asks the reader to get his/her hands dirty and delve right into the code to witness the benefits of TDD first hand. I am actually considering reading the whole book or at least until I feel I learned enough on the subject.


Even though I feel like I cheated the review, I have an optimistic feeling for this book and the way it goes about teaching the concept of TDD and would actually recommend it to anyone who might be interested in the subject.

[Franck Chauvel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had already read Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests and Test Driven Development: By Example. TDD sounds promising and yet, I was struggling in practice. This book answered most of my questions. It covers four main topics: The basics, some more challenges areas (GUI, multi-threaded code, persistence), acceptance-TDD frameworks such as Fit, and a couple of advices to help you convince your colleagues. Although I was less interested in the part about ATDD, I recommend it to anyone having trouble applying TDD.

[Collin Rogowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice and thorough introduction to Test Driven Development. Especially the beginning is very valuable as a non-trivial, realistic example (a template engine) is developed from scratch using TDD. Many (theoretically known) concepts become clear when discussed in this way. The reminder of the book is also interesting, as special topics like GUI-testing and concurrency are covered.
If you want to do TDD and don't know really how to start, this book is a must read.

[Bryan Vold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written, very well organized and very well edited (haven't found errors). This is a great introduction to TDD Test Driven Development. I highly recommend this book as a programmer and tester.

[Pisketti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Koskela's hands-on approach to using tests (test driving) as a valuable tool for a developer. I had practiced TDD for some time before reading the book but it still provided lots of useful insights.

[Lars Westergren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very hands on and step-by-step guide to becoming test infected. A few chapters are very java-specific, but most of it is relevant for fans of other languages too.

[Christophe Addinquy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma note de lecture complète en français ici

[Olli Sorje · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about doing TDD with Java. I also liked last chapter talking about how to support adoption of TDD and ATDD.

[Madhur Ahuja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better of the other TDD books in Java. Carries much of theory in the end. The beginning parts are much useful and practical.