Java Testing Weekly 8 / 2016

There are many software development blogs out there, but many of them don't publish testing articles on a regular basis.

Also, I have noticed that some software developers don't read blogs written by software testers.

That is a shame because I think that we can learn a lot from them.

That is why I decided to create a newsletter that shares the best testing articles which I found during the last week.

Let's get started.

Technical Stuff

  • Arquillian released a beta version of their Arquillian Universe Generator Beta tool. This tool is dead simple. All you need to do is to select the modules you want to use, click the generate button, and enjoy your new POM file.
  • AssertJ's SoftAssertions - do we need them? describes how you can group your assertions by using soft assertions. If you use this technique, a failing assertion doesn't fail your test right away. Instead AssertJ will run all assertions and provide a report that identifies all failed assertions. This is a very useful feature, but only if you use it in the right way.
  • Spring REST Docs 1.1.0.M1 has been released. This version adds support for REST Assured and TestNG. Also, you can create your API documentation by using either Asciidoctor or Markdown (Markdown support was added in the 1.1.0.M1 release).
  • Stubbing, Mocking and Service Virtualization Differences for Test and Development Teams compares the pros and cons of stubs, mocks, and virtual services. This post also provides tips that help you to choose the right tool for the job. I like this post because the author clearly understands that there are several ways to solve the same problem and you should select the used tool by comparing its strengths and weaknesses with your requirements.

The Really Valuable Stuff

  • Can we stop saying we break software? explains why a tester should never say that he/she breaks software for a living. I agree with the author. If a tester finds a bug, the software was either already broken or a developer misunderstood its requirements. I don't think that the tester broke anything. In fact, I think that he/she helped the developer to solve the right problem.
  • Do you check your automated checks? describes why you should continuously evaluate your existing tests and provides some tips that help you to do that. This is a good idea. I write a lot of test and every time when I change an existing feature, I take a look at its tests. If see something that could be improved, I try to make the change right away. If it is too big, I will make a note and try to find time to fix it. The problem is that finding time to fix these things is not easy. I will have to try harder in the future.
  • Mapping Biases to Testing: the Anchoring Effect specifies the term anchoring effect and describes how it "helps" you to make bad decisions. The author provides excellent real-life examples about this, and I am a bit depressed about the fact that I have seen too many similar situations as well. If you are interested in psychology (and you should be), you must read this blog post.
  • Test Automation Sells is an excellent rant, and I think that even Lukas Eder might be a bit jealous to the author. I admit that the author has a valid point when he says that automation doesn't eliminate the need for skilled testers. However, there is one claim that feels a bit weird: I have never seen that test automation increases the number of required people. In my reality developers either write automated tests or don't write them. In any case, this is a good post. Go and read it.
  • What If We Forget To Write the Tests? helps you to solve a situation where developers don't write tests even if they "must" write them. I like this post because the author doesn't play the blame game. Instead he suggests that you should explore their point of view and help them to solve the problem that prevents them from writing tests.

It's Time for Feedback

Because I want to make this newsletter worth your time, I am asking you to help me make it better.

P.S. If you want to make sure that you don't ever miss Java Testing Weekly, you should subscribe my newsletter.

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