I was browsing StackOverflow the other day (as many geeks are known to do from time to time) and read an answer which describes writing Unit Tests as being like going to the gym. Now, I’m not sure about the final few sentences about finding another job but I do really like the analogy. It’s hard when you start out but the more you do the easier it gets and the more value it adds.
Now, like going to the gym there are couple of fundamentals which if forgotten can undermine everything. Unit Tests don’t require proper warmups or cool downs but they absolutely, definitely, must be run on the build server for their real value to be exploited.
Let me explain why.
Developers are often hackers by nature, we install different things and experiment. That’s what makes us good at our job, it’s also what makes every developer’s computer slightly different so software which runs on one machine could behave very differently on another.
What’s worse, if your developer is in a rush or having a bad day they may completely ‘forget’ to execute the tests before committing code. Now, instead of vigorously tested and proven code being added to source control you’ve got a risk.
Tools like NCrunch help reduce this but the only absolutely foolproof way to ensure that all your tests are executed and passed before deployment is to get your server to run them. Missing out this vital link means you’re opening your build and deployment process up to human error, something you should be very nervous of doing.
Almost all build servers have the capability of running tests so dig out the manual and make sure that when the tests fail, the build fails!
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