The Typemock Insider Blog

Isolator 5.4.5 - better Intellitest, better performance!

2009-12-06T18:46:00.003+02:00

I'm thrilled to announce the new Typemock Isolator 5.4.5 release – you can get it right here.

In this version we focused on adding a new feature to Intellitest in order to make test authoring easier for you. Using the new behavior wizard you can use a fake object that is passed to the method under test, and fake its behavior. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a picture for you:

Another focus went into improving AAA performance. We redesigned a part of the AAA module for better performance, and managed to show an improvement of 70% in test run time in some cases! This should become evident especially if you are faking very large classes.

This version also sports a few additional improvements:

Vastly improved verification messages when verifying method call arguments
Fixed an old bug in Natural Mocks where auto field mocking default behavior was not reset properly
Isolator now supports running tests with the open source PartCover coverage profiler (version 2.3.0)
And for the tinkerers in the crowd, Intellitest suggestion extensibility now provides an event that is raised when a suggestion is about to be executed

This version is available for download on our site. Go grab it to enjoy all these improvements!

It’s coming – 3 more days…

2009-12-04T22:59:00.001+02:00

The final piece of the puzzle is in.

Start your engine, use the given input, and get ready for the power up.

Oh, and don’t forget to tell your friends. Nobody wants to miss this kind of power up…

This week in Testing – Episode 6

2009-12-04T10:53:00.001+02:00

Another week, another testing, another webcast.

Let’s not analyze this too much. Instead ,Analyze this!

It’s coming – 4 more days

2009-12-03T15:16:00.001+02:00

Now the code is decoded - it’s a program.

With a bug.

Fix the bug, and you’ll be ready for the final piece of the puzzle.

It’s coming – 5 more days…

2009-12-02T15:44:00.001+02:00

Well we’ve uncovered one part. What’s the rest?

Can you unearth it?

It’s not that long, almost there…

It’s coming – 6 more days…

2009-12-01T13:16:00.001+02:00

Another hint is in! Now you can actually decode the key.

But will you be able to complete the whole quest? People in the comments say they have. Do you believe them?

Me neither. Trust me, you need to try it for yourself.

Go ahead!

ASP.Net unit testing interview on the site

2009-12-01T12:45:00.001+02:00

It’s always interesting to hear what developers think about, when building their product. In this case, I talked to Artem Smirnov, about what drove him to write Ivonna, which is part of Isolator for ASP.Net.

Artem talks about the challenges for testing ASP.Net applications, how he took another tool, CThru, and incorprated it into Ivonna, and how he sees unit testing adoption today. Plus, he’s talking about what’s next to Ivonna.

So go ahead and read the ASP.Net unit testing interview!

It’s coming… 7 more days

2009-11-30T11:55:00.001+02:00

So after the weekend, we thought to drop another hint. And this time, it’s a hidden hint. But if you’re brave enough to install the latest version of Isolator, it may reveal itself.

Some people actually have an idea of where this is going! check out the comments, and tell us – are you smart these guys?

It’s Coming – 10 More Days

2009-11-27T12:12:00.001+02:00

So the code is out. But you need to decode it.

So you’ll need a key. A special key.

You can get the key when you download Isolator, on the download page.

But this is no ordinary key. Oh, no. You need to decrypt it to use it.

Can you guess what it is?

Stay tuned…

It’s coming… in 11 days

2009-11-26T16:06:00.001+02:00

So you think you know what’s coming?

Do you?

Maybe by cracking the code, you’ll get it right. It’s not as easy as it looks…

This Week in Testing – Episode 5

2009-11-26T15:09:00.001+02:00

On our 5th installment, Roy is still out. Dror and Gil discuss many a testing thingies, including few of their favorite things – things that bug them.

Go figure. These gentle people getting annoyed. And yet…

Ok, go watch.

It’s coming

2009-11-25T17:36:00.001+02:00

We can’t tell you yet, but here are a few hints:

1. It’s for small companies

2. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it, because…

3. It’s going to save you LOTS of money

So follow @typemock on Twitter, keep an eye on #typemockpowerup, and you’ll find out!

Why you should write unit tests

2009-11-23T08:53:00.002+02:00

Last week, I re-listend to the interview I did with Andrew Woodward at SPC. And something struck me emotionally. (And no, I’m not going to discuss here the relationship between me and Andrew).

To quote Andrew:

“[we’re] looking at ways … to make the code better so that testers can focus on the scenarios and complex tests rather than dealing with the ’stupid bugs’”

Stupid bugs.

Stupid bugs are the ones responsible for you staying at work late to fix them.

Stupid bugs are the ones that drive the project manager crazy, because the dev team didn’t catch them before the build.

Stupid bugs are the ones that are found out immediately when the QA fires up the application and starts testing, and then immediately return it back to the developers.

Stupid bugs hurt. They are the eggs on your face. These are the ones that should have and could have been found and avoided earlier. Unit tests are the number-one cure.

Please share in the comments a stupid bug story. We all have them.

“This Week In Testing” Episode 4

2009-11-18T16:44:00.001+02:00

Roy is missing in action, but we’ve got a helper. Dror Helper.

Dror courageously jumped into uniform and together we give you quality 20 minutes of testing news. Including a whole section devoted to farm animals, some of them communicating.

If you’re still reading this, head on to our webcast page, to see Episode 4.

PDC Sessions on Testing and Quality

2009-11-18T15:23:00.001+02:00

PDC is on right now (and we’re not there…)

But if you are, there are 7 quality-related sessions on tools and methodology. It’s great to see that MS is responding to the need in the developer community.

Behavior-Driven Development vs. Test-Driven Development: What’s What?

Developing Testable Silverlight Applications

A Lap Around Microsoft Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server 2010

Code Contracts and Pex: Power Charge Your Assertions and Unit Tests

Advanced Diagnostics, IntelliTrace™ and Test Automation

Automating "Done Done" in the Team Workflows with Microsoft Visual Studio Ultimate and Team Foundation Server 2010

Developing Quality Software Using Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2010

So if you’re there, try to catch them, and tell us what you though of them.

Typemock Isolator 5.4.4 release!

2009-11-16T18:30:00.002+02:00

The new Typemock Isolator 5.4.4 is out – those of you who want to get it right away just click here.

This is mostly a maintanance release, sporting major improvements in Intellitest performance, and imporant bug fixes:

Intellitest memory consumption improved by an order of magnitude
Improved Visual Studio responsiveness with the productivity add-in
Fixed a bug with Visual Studio packages failing to load because of the productivity add-in
Fixed a bug with Intellitest interfering with VB.NET
Intellitest no longer causes Intellisense to go away when providing suggestions
Fixed issues with event invocation on events defined in interfaces and abstract classes
Fixed integration with PostSharp and the new Gallio Echo test runner

This version is available for download on our site. Go grab it to enjoy all these improvements!

Interview with Mark Michaelis from SPC

2009-11-16T11:33:00.001+02:00

I just uploaded another interview I did at SPC09. This time it was with Mark Michaelis, the author of Essential C#. Mark talks about the importance of unit testing (without being paid to do so:)).

Enjoy!

Typemock in Google Wave

2009-11-12T16:52:00.001+02:00

We have a blog, we have forums, we have a twitter account and now we also have a small place inside Google Wave where you can contact us.

So if you want to discuss Typemock or Typemock related issues (and you have a wave account) we’ve just opened a place to do exactly that.

To find and join us just search for “with:public Welcome to the Typemock wave” and tell us what you think.

See you there…

Testing Time Dependent Code - Video

2009-11-12T11:01:00.001+02:00

We’ve just uploaded a short video on how to test for expiration dates.

We’ve all (and I mean all – I’m looking at you) changed the time on the computer to see if our code works. It really isn’t necessary, with the ability to fake DateTime.Now.

Go watch the video!

Webinar - Successful Unit Testing From Day 1

2009-11-11T16:11:00.001+02:00

This one was recorded a while ago. In this webinar, Dror Helper, who is by the way a developer of the Typemock team, and obviously has great knowledge about unit testing, gives us a look at what needs to be done in order to succeed in unit testing from the beginning.

In the webinar, Dror talks about automation of testing, the tools you’ll need, and the environment that can nurture the process. He also talks about the practices you’d want to follow, and what pot holes you’d want to jump over.

Enjoy!

“This week in testing” – Episode 3

2009-11-11T15:24:00.001+02:00

They say bad things come in threes.

Well, we’re not done yet. This time, we come to you with 2 channels of audio (for the same price), and you can download an mp3 audio only. Go check it out and leave us some comments. We do love us some comments.

Andrew Woodward and Chris Keyser Interviews

2009-11-11T15:13:00.002+02:00

When I was at the SharePoint Conference, I managed to snag a couple of short interviews. Two of them are up on the site now.

The first interview is with Chris Keyser, a program manager at Microsoft’s Patterns and Practices group. Chris showed how to write unit tests, using Isolator at the SPC, as part of the Best Practices for SharePoint development (which was very cool to watch, by the way). In the interview, Chris talks about the importance of testing for developers.

The second interview is with Andrew Woodward, a SharePoint Microsoft MVP, who’s promoting agile practices and testing in the SharePoint community. Andrew has written a lot about TDD at the SharePoint space. In this interview, Andrew talks about the adoption of testing in the SharePoint community.

Typemock is celebrating 2010 - Come enjoy our specials

2009-11-10T17:45:00.008+02:00

Typemock is celebrating 2010 this month and we have some amazing offers for our users.

We have 2 sweet deals for you; you can choose one, the other or both of them. See below for more details.

Get a private unit testing training session for your development team

We’ve started a new and amazing unit testing training session, and as part of this month celebration we are offering it at a special introduction price!!!

We know that it can be challenging to implement unit testing within your team, that’s why we built this special training session that will help you and your team to get started and do unit testing easily and effectively.

What will you receive in this training session?

In this private training session provided especially for your team, we take a look at common scenarios in the unit testing world, that most users come across in their first attempts, and demonstrate how we write tests to make sure that the code you write performs as it’s supposed to. We will also work through a few simple real-life scenarios, showing how to build unit tests and build a strong base, which developers can use to build on and continue to improve their unit testing skills.
The developers who will attend this training session will have understanding of basic unit testing concepts, of mocks, stubs and fakes and of course will have a working knowledge of Typemock Isolator.

Please click the link to learn more about the unit testing training session , or simply contact us.

6 months free maintenance for each new license of Typemock Isolator

Typemock Isolator delivers the benefits of quick and easy unit testing, making sure you get quality code, with the minimum amount of debugging, and maximizing your efficiency.

Ok Ok I know the benefits of Typemock Isolator, how do I get the maintenance?

For a limited time only, for each new license purchase you’ll be getting free maintenance for 6 months along with all the benefits of Typemock Isolator, such as the latest feature Intellitest. To get this benefit simply go to our Buy page and purchase an Isolator license, we will send it to you along with the free Maintenance.

Why do I need maintenance?

Maintenance provides you with the ability to upgrade your software version to the latest one, including all the new features, (it’s like if Microsoft would have sold Win 98 with maintenance, then users would have been able to upgrade to XP for free). Customers with an active Maintenance license can also enjoy our premium tech support from our highly professional team of software developers. In the near feature we intend on releasing new features and new versions of Isolator that will make unit testing even easier than now. Only customers who will have an active maintenance subscription will enjoy these upgrades for free.

So… if you want to join us in our celebration and you want to enjoy our specials, click on the relevant link above or just email us . Don’t forget to also tell your friends and your company, so they too can enjoy these special offers!!!

Unit Testing Training – From Us!

2009-11-10T09:15:00.001+02:00

As I’ve grown in this industry, I understand the value of learning and training. Sometimes you can’t keep up with all the technologies popping up. And once you’ve mastered them, there’s a new one to learn.

Writing unit testing is a craft. You have to practice writing tests in order to become better at it. And usually you do it by yourself. Most of us see that as the only way. And when the practice goes hand-in-hand with a tool, (I’m talking about Isolator, yes), it might seem that you need to just learn the tool, and everything will work ok with the practice. Tools make it easy. But you might want to get better at both tool and practice. Fast.

From today, we’re rolling out a new product – training. We’ve got unit testing experts that can help you, whether you’re starting out in unit testing, or want to improve. We’re offering a basic and advanced sets so you can get your team on the right track. Plus, we’re offering professional test reviews, if you’re already writing tests.

You can read more about this on our Training product page. If you’re interested, we’ll be happy to oblige. And if you have suggestions or comments for the content, let us know. We’re good, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get better.

From now on, you’re not on your own. We’re here to help.

What is the ROI of Unit Testing?

2009-11-08T17:08:00.001+02:00

Well, we don’t really know. We all know it’s good in the long run. Usually we can answer how much it’s going to cost, now. And to make matters worse, the worth of a unit test can be found out only if the test breaks. So it’s like gambling: You write tests for the sake of sometimes in the future find the bug.

When we started developing Typemock Tracker we thought about metrics that will help us prove that unit testing works for us. It can answer by comparison – compare a team doing unit testing to one that doesn’t. At the beginning we thought that number would be bug-fix time. But after some dogfooding ,we found out that it’s not that. So we’ve done some re-thinking.

The first thing that came out was the bugs-caught metrics. This is an absolute number, you can actually calculate the saving on. If one collected metrics (not everyone does, by the way), you can estimate the time spent in QA reproducing the bug, the amount of time the developer reproduces it on his machine, then the fixing (assuming 1 iteration between the QA and the developer. It seems that the more iterations you have, you know the cost in better precision). Then QA need to retest. So take all this time, slap a cost on it (taken right out of the QA and developer paycheck), and you’ve got savings. The number in dollars you’ve saved because a test you wrote in the past caught it. We also thought of taking it a bit further, by giving more weight to the age of the test. But we’re not there yet.

The next metric is about reducing waste. And the biggest differentiator between a person doing manual testing and unit testing is the waste of debugging. Unit tests run faster, they are more focused and saved you a lot of time in reproduction, debugging and fixing the bug. And we decided that if we were to compare them, it would be by this factor. And once again, we thought that once this is measurable, you can put a price on the saved waste.

So there you have it. Tracker is out (in beta form) for your evaluation. And this is where you come in. Your mission, should you decide to accept it is to start working with it. It’s an easy install, and quite graphical. For the first time, you now have a way to measure the savings of unit tests, as well the speed of adoption (track the ratio of production code/manual testing – improvement means saving). Play with your numbers and see if the calculations make sense. And let us know if you think other metrics can help.

And if you find out you’ve saved mega bucks – don’t keep it to yourself. Tracker helps sell the idea of unit testing, using real numbers. Use it.