Session 6: Testing and Advanced Argument Passing

Unit Testing and Advanced Argument Passing

Pre-class prep

Reading

Unit Testing

• Unit Testing

NOTE: you will find that most introductions to unit testing with Python use the built in unittest module. However, it is a bit heavyweight, and requires some knowledge of OOP – classes, etc. So we’ll be using pytest in this class: http://doc.pytest.org/en/latest/. But the principles of testing are the same.

• Dive into Python: chapter 9: http://www.diveintopython3.net/unit-testing.html
• Ned Batchelder’s intro to testing presentation:
  • http://nedbatchelder.com/text/test0.html

Arguments and Parameters

• Advanced Argument Passing
• arguments and parameters:
  • http://stupidpythonideas.blogspot.com/2013/08/arguments-and-parameters.html
  • https://pythontips.com/2013/08/04/args-and-kwargs-in-python-explained/

In-class Activities

A bit more on mutability (and copies)

Exercises:

• Introduction To Unit Testing
• args and kwargs LAB

Testing mailroom:

Mailroom Part 4

Write a complete set of unit tests for your mailroom program.

• You will likely find that it is really hard to test without refactoring.
• This is Good!
• If code is hard to test – it probably should be refactored.

Post-class Activities

Finish the exercises

Look at the next session for reading, etc:

Session 7: Object Oriented Programing

NOTE: there is not a lot of new stuff this week, but this will give all of you a chance to catch up if you don’t have mailroom and trigrams fully working yet.

And do spend time with the readings (and supplemental readings) – we are going to dive right in to OO programming next week.