By Michael Schwern (‎Schwern‎) from PDX.pm
Date: Tuesday, 22 June 2010 10:00
Duration: 40 minutes
Target audience: Beginner
Language: English
Tags: brass bullet control testing version

Code Happier With The Cycle: Code, Test, Fail, Diff, Fix, Pass, Commit, Repeat

If I could convince developers of one thing it would be this: Writing tests and using version control together during development is the simplest way to improve your life. So I will.

After 15 years of being a developer, teaching software engineering, trying to get people to see the light on testing, I have hit upon the single most important technique you can learn. If you do nothing else to improve your life as a developer, it is to learn this simple cycle:

1) Write code.
2) Write tests.
3) Fail the tests.
4) Look at the diff and fix it.
5) Pass the tests.
6) Commit.
7) Repeat.

This simple, short development cycle (code, test, fail, diff, fix, pass, commit, repeat) will make you code faster, happier and with more confidence. It takes advantage of the synergy between aggressive, but simple, use of testing and version control. It can, and should, be learned by any developer of any technology in all circumstances.

If you’re struggling as a developer.
If you fear changing code.
If you’ve never gotten around to writing tests.
If you’re never sure when to commit code.
If your code always has bugs.
Attend this session.

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