Unit Testing Zen
Looking back at this, I realize now that I didn't fully understand how unit testing is supposed to work. My idea was that you test every function. To be honest, I actually still like my idea a lot, and judging by many of the unit test flame wars threads on different online forums, it seems that a lot of people feel the same way.
I believe that the crux of the problem stems from the principal that says thou shall not test private methods. The catechism answer for why is simple: that code gets tested when you test the public methods. Then the test private method camp asks what is the point of testing in the first place if you are not going to test what are potentially key functions. And most of the orthodox priests will repeat that private methods will be tested with the public methods.
So many pragmatic people just make their private methods public. Some keep it like that. Some turn them back to private before releasing the code.
Yet I remember having an insight during one of my unit test periods in that if you really need to test a set of private methods because they are very important, maybe they should belong to their own class --- ---- (the empty space represents the state of enlightenment that cannot be expressed with words.)
So there was a reason why testing should only happen to public units! If you feel compel to test some key private methods, it is because they probably belong on their own object. The principle helps us with the design!
Now, I thank my orthodox priest sensei for granting me that moment of enlightenment. After all, it feels very good; it makes me feel like I am smarter; and it gives me a moment where I feel connected with the full universe.
On the other hand, my sensei could have told me that to begin with, I would have seen the wisdom of it right away, and would have adopted the practice a lot sooner. Jerk. But then, maybe those monks are full of cattle waste and are just repeating some mantra that everyone learned somewhere else. What makes them think that they can go around doing that when they don't know what they are talking about?
On the other hand, being full of shit and a zen master is very Zen in itself. Oh, wait a minute, I think it is coming, oh... --- ----
