We are automating web applications using Selenium WebDriver. It is easy to get started with automated tests. It is harder to maintain an automated test system. The Entropy increases with time and different developers/testers; your once beautiful crafted test code may end up unrecognizable.
The cure for this is to apply the Four Rules of Simple design while you maintain the tests. The rules, as suggested by Kent Beck are:
Test pass
Express intent
No duplication
Small
Thomas will take a test suite for a web application and by following the Four Rules of Simple design, transform it step by step into something that is easier to maintain.
This will be a live coding session with a lot of refactoring. All steps will be small and you will therefore be able to follow even if your main profession isn’t writing code. After this session, you will know that even the most horrible test code is possible to clean up just be slowly transforming the code in small steps.
Thomas Sundberg
Think Code AB, Sweden
Thomas Sundberg is an independent consultant based in Stockholm, Sweden. He has a Masters degree in Computer Science from the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, in Stockholm. Thomas has been working as a developer for more than 20 years. He has taught programming at The Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, one the leading technical universities in Sweden. Thomas has developed an obsession for technical excellence. This translates to Software Craftsmanship, Clean Code and Test Automation.
Thomas is a frequent speaker at different conferences and developer venues. Thomas runs a blog where he writes about programming, Software craftsmanship and whatever problem he wants to share a solution about. It can be found at thomassundberg.wordpress.com.
