Using jUnit to test a class / object which is not created yet - java

I am working on a program that will be a sort of game for beginner programmers. I intend to provide a field where the users can write code as required (method, class... ). When the user wants to submit the code, I will copy the content of the text field into a .java file, call the compiler to compile this class, and then I want to test whether the code works okay using jUnit.
Well, I know that jUnit is used for development purposes, but I think it could be very useful implementing it in this case as well.
Now the problem is that when I will need to compile my program, the class which will supposedly be tested (the user's code) is not going to be there. So I cannot just call
assertEquals( "Wrong sum", 6, Foo.sum( 4, 2));
because it will not know what Foo class is, since it will never be there at the time of compilatoin - before the user runs the application and starts coding.
I thought I could create a dummy class, just for the sake of compilation, but then when I will need the real thing, I won't be able to replace the file or write another file like Foo2.java, because the FooTest.java will only operate with object Foo....
I would really appreciate your suggestions guys!!! What can I do to deal with this situation?
Thanks :)

Two options:
Have the user implement an interface and use the interface in the JUnit
Use reflection to get the public method from the class and call it.
Reflection Version:
If you have an instance of the class you want to test (could be of type Object), use getClass to get the Class object. Then use getDeclaredMethods to get a list of the Methods. Iterate the Methods till you find the one you want to test (hopefully the only public method).

Related

Creating a testing class for a strange program

I have completed my project, but cannot get the testing class to work. I know this is because i wrote the code in probably the worst possible way. However, it's too late to change now, and honestly i don't want too either. Could someone suggest a possible way of a testing class based on the code i currently have...
Your code is untestable. You need to use more object oriented way of programming. Try to refactor code into few shorter methods. Then you can test separate methods.
For unit testing I recommend Junit
Your code might work because you extend Pizza and then in your main you just set the static attributes. But there is absolutely nothing you could test here, as you have 0 methods and 0 objects.
You can't even instantiate your Pizza class, as all its attributes are static and an instance would therefore be useless.
All you can test is assigning values to static attributes, but I guess we can expect that to be bugfree ;-)

stubbing private method in Java

I'm testing a function that takes several paramters and on the basis of their values calls different private methods.
I want to check that the function always call the right private method.
Since I know what the private methods will do I can check the final result but it would be more convenient to be able to check directly if the right function was called, because I have already tested the private methods.
Is there a way to replace a privae method with a stub?
Yes, there are mocking libraries that let you do this. One is PowerMock. From their private method tutorial, you need something like this:
#RunWith(PowerMockRunner.class)
#PrepareForTest(MyUnit.class)
public class TestMyUnit {
#Test
public void testSomething() {
MyUnit unit = PowerMock.createPartialMock(MyUnit.class, "methodNameToStub");
PowerMock.expectPrivate(unit, "methodNameToStub", param1).andReturn(retVal);
EasyMock.replay(unit);
unit.publicMethod(param1);
EasyMock.verify(unit);
}
}
However, I really disagree with this practice myself. Your unit test should test inputs, outputs, and side effects, and that's it. By ensuring that a private method is called correctly, all you're doing is preventing your code from being easily refactored.
In other words, what if down the road you want to change how your unit does its job? The safe way to do this is to make sure the code is under (passing) tests, then refactor the code (potentially including changing which internal methods are called), and then run the tests again to make sure you didn't break anything. With your approach, this is impossible because your tests test the exact implementation, not the behaviour of the unit itself. Refactoring will almost always break the test, so how much benefit is the test really giving you?
Most often you would want to do this because you're actually considering those privates a unit unto themselves (this sound like you, since you say you are testing those private methods directly already!). If that's the case, it's best to extract that logic into its own class, test it, and then in the remaining code interact with a mock/stub version of that new unit. If you do that, your code has a better structure and you don't need to fall back on the voodoo magic that is PowerMock. A fantastic reference to do these kinds of refactorings is Michael Feathers' Working Effectively with Legacy Code.
You may check java instrumentation to do so
As one of solution can be used proxy from inner classes. You need add inner class inside every your class which must be tested.
But it is not very good solution for big product project. its require create addition script for remove generated classes from your release files(jar/war).
But more easier way will be used PowerMock as wrote in comments bellow(or upper :)) - http://code.google.com/p/powermock/wiki/MockPrivate
Would it be possible to provide the class in question with another object, to which the private methods are moved and made public? In that case, it would be easy to create a test dummy for that interface.
If calling the right "private method" has no observable outside result, are you sure you want to test this? Maybe shouldn't.
If the end result is the same regardless of whether the private method gets called, and you still want to observe its invocation, you could make the method public and move it to its own class, and mock that class. Then you could verify (using Mockito or a similar framework) whether your method is being called.
Code coverage tools do this kind of thing by re-writing the bytecode before the tests are actually run. So, it's got to be possible, but it's non-trivial.
Update: writing a unit test that requires that the "right" private method be called kind of makes the job of refactoring a real pain because then you have to re-write all your tests. That kind of defeats the purpose of the tests.

Catch Unresolved Compilation Errors in Java

I'm currently a Teacher's Assistant for a class that uses Java. I'm trying to write a snippet of code that will test to make sure that student's methods are correct, but often times the student won't even implement the method, or they'll call it something incorrect, which obviously will cause a Unresolved Compilation problem when my test code is run. Is there a way to catch this error during runtime, so that my test code can execute without having to play around with the code submitted by the student?
edit: Just discovered that an Unresolved compilation problem is generated by the compiler before runtime. With this in mind, is there a way to do what I explained above?
edit: Also, I don't have any control over the way that assignments are structured, so I can't introduce interfaces, or stubs, etc.
If I were a TA, I would write some unit tests and tell the students to make the test pass. Get them into testing early on.
If the code doesn't compile, it doesn't make sense to detect that at runtime. You can't run if it won't compile.
If you use reflection you can check if the method exists, invoke methods, and iterate though existing methods to possibly find the student's method.
See the UrlClassLoader class for loading the students code from file.
If I understand your question, you're trying to validate both the interface that the student implements as well as the correctness of the implementation. The reflection API would allow to determine if a Class has implemented the correct API and if it has, invoke that API. Look at java.lang.Class, java.lang.Method, etc.
Sounds like you have entered into the object orient portion of your course now. I think it might be a good idea to create a super class that has all of the assigned methods stubbed out. Then students can simply extend that super class and implement the methods. Your stubbed ones should just throw a RuntimeException which would cause the corresponding unit tests to fail. That should allow you to create unit tests with having to worry too much about students not implementing particular methods.

Where to put potentially re-useable helper functions?

This is language agnostic, but I'm working with Java currently.
I have a class Odp that does stuff. It has two private helper methods, one of which determines the max value in an int[][], and the other returns the occurrences of a character in a String.
These aren't directly related to the task at hand, and seem like they could be reused in future projects. Where is the best place to put this code?
Make it public -- bad, because Odp's functionality is not directly related, and these private methods are an implementation detail that don't need to be in the public interface.
Move them to a different class -- but what would this class be called? MiscFunctionsWithNoOtherHome? There's no unifying theme to them.
Leave it private and copy/paste into other classes if necessary -- BAD
What else could I do?
Here's one solution:
Move the method that determines te max value in a two-dimensional int array to a public class called IntUtils and put the class to a util package.
Put the method that returns the occurrences of a character in a String to a puclic class called StringUtils and put the class to a util package.
There's nothing particularly bad about writing static helper classes in Java. But make sure that you don't reinvent the wheel; the methods that you just described might already be in some OS library, like Jakarta Commons.
Wait until you need it!
Your classes wil be better for it, as you have no idea for now how your exact future needs will be.
When you are ready, in Eclipse "Extract Method".
EDIT: I have found that test driven development give code that is easier to reuse because you think of the API up front.
A lot of people create a Utility class with a lot of such methods declared as static. Some people don't like this approach but I think it strikes a balance between design, code reuse, and practicality.
If it were me, I'd either:
create one or more Helper classes that contained the methods as static publics, naming them as precisely as possible, or
if these methods are all going to be used by classes of basically the same type, I'd create an abstract base class that includes these as protected methods.
Most of the time I end up going with 1, although the helper methods I write are usually a little more specific than the ones you've mentioned, so it's easier to come up with a class name.
I not know what the other languages do but I have the voice of experience in Java on this: Just move to the end-brace of your class and write what you need ( or nested class if you prefer as that is accepted canonical convention in Java )
Move the file scope class ( default access class right there in the file ) to it's own compilation unit ( public class in it's own file ) when the compiler moans about it.
See other's comments about nested classes of same name if differing classes have the same functionality in nested class of same name. What will happen on larger code bases is the two will diverge over time and create maintainability issues that yield to Java's Name of class as type of class typing convention that forces you to resolve the issue somehow.
What else could I do?
Be careful not to yield to beginner impulses on this. Your 1-2 punch nails it, resist temptation.
In my experience, most large projects will have some files for "general" functions, which are usually all sorts of helper functions like this one which don't have any builtin language library.
In your case, I'd create a new folder (new package for Java) called "General", then create a file to group together functions (for Java, this will just be a class with lots of static members).
For example, in your case, I'd have something like: General/ArrayUtils.java, and in that I'd throw your function and any other function you need.
Don't worry that for now this is making a new class (and package) for only one function. Like you said in the question, this will be something you'll use for the next project, and the next. Over time, this "General" package will start to grow all sorts of really great helper classes, like MathUtils, StringUtils, etc. which you can easily copy to every project you work on.
You should avoid helper classes if you can, since it creates redundant dependencies. Instead, if the classes using the helper methods are of the same type (as kbrasee wrote), create an abstract superclass containing the methods.
If you do choose to make a separate class do consider making it package local, or at least the methods, since it may not make sense for smaller projects. If your helper methods are something you will use between projects, then a library-like approach is the nicest to code in, as mentioned by Edan Maor.
You could make a separate project called utils or something, where you add the classes needed, and attach them as a library to the project you are working on. Then you can easily make inter-project library updates/fixes by one modification. You could make a package for these tools, even though they may not be that unified (java.util anyone?).
Option 2 is probably your best bet in Java, despite being unsatisfying. Java is unsatisfying, so no surprise there.
Another option might be to use the C Preprocessor as a part of your build process. You could put some private static functions into file with no class, and then include that file somewhere inside a class you want to use it in. This may have an effect on the size of your class files if you go overboard with it, of course.

Testing all classes which implement an interface in Java

Is there anything out there (for Java specifically) that allow you to automatically test the behavior of an interface? As an example, let's say I have a bunch of tests for the Comparable interface, that should apply to anything that implements Comparable. What I'd like is to be able to include "ComparableTests" automatically in the test fixtures for any of my classes which implement Comparable. Bonus points if this would work with generic interfaces.
I know the .NET framework mbUnit has something similar, and when you're using something like TestNG's generator functions you could set up a test fixture for Comparable and have the generator create an instance of each of your classes that implement Comparable. But I'd rather have it be automatic, and located at the test fixture for each of my classes (since I'll already have them around for testing other parts of that class).
Clarification: I could definitely build something like this. I was asking if there was anything out there that already enabled this.
Based on your last paragraph, what you're trying to do is inject some 'extra methods' into unit testing since you're already testing a specific class. I do not know of a testing harness that allows you to attach tests based on the hierarchy of a class.
However, with your own suggestion of using TestNG for building something similar, I think you might be very close. You could very well incorporate some base code that adds your class to a list of 'default test classes', which are in turn tested if they implement a specific interface.
Still, regarding the general case, I think you're out of luck, since the Java type system is one-way, you can only (easily) find out what interfaces a class implements, not the other way around. Furthermore, the problem is 'where to stop looking': if you have a test that checks all your comparable implementers, do you want it to check the validity of String's one too, since that is in your Java environment?
Try this
http://www.xmlizer.biz/java/classloader/ClassList.java
In .NET it would be pretty simple to set up a method that looks through an assembly and identifies each class's inheritance/implementation hierarchy. I'm sure you could do it in Java, too, if you research the Java reflection API.
You could then create an array of ITargetInterfaces and call a test method on each one.
One way would be to search through the jar file for all the .class files (or search through the classes directory), use the Class.forName() method to load the class file and check MyInterface.class.isAssignableFrom(myClass).
This wouldn't deal easily public inner static classes (you could parse the class file name), but would never work with private inner classes or anonymous inner classes.

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