Introduction to Test and Behavior Driven Development from Coursera

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction to Testing

This module provides an overview of software testing. You will learn about the importance of testing through an example: the development of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module’s guidance system. You will discover the numerous problems that occur when developers do not test their code. Then you will explore the four levels of testing and find out when each appears in the traditional release cycle. You will learn what test driven and behavior driven development are and why both are essential for effective testing. You will discover the purpose of test cases and witness their value through a demonstration.

Test Driven Development

This module provides an overview of Test-Driven Development (TDD). You will learn what TDD is and discover the three basic steps in the TDD and Red/Green/Refactor workflow. You will see why TDD is essential for DevOps and all automated testing. You will also discover popular testing tools for TDD and closely examine the features of several tools for Python. This module also covers essential methods for performing TDD. You will explore ways to run TDD tests such as, Python’s built-in test runner, Unittest, and the more feature-rich module, Nose. You will learn about assertions and how to use them to test code. You will discover why you must include happy and sad paths in your test module. You will also discover the test fixtures and how to use them to establish an appropriate initial state for each test.

Advanced Methods for Test Driven Development

This module covers advanced methods for TDD. You will learn about test coverage: why it’s important, how to increase it by using test coverage reports, and why you should keep testing even at full test coverage. You will discover the value of testing against fake data and how to use factories to generate this data. You will also explore mocking, a process for mimicking the behavior of real objects, and you will find out the testing situations for which mocking is useful. You will learn how to use two common methods for mocking: patching a function call and mocking entire objects.

Behavior Driven Development

This module provides an overview of behavior driven development (BDD). You will explore BDD, including its benefits for higher-level automated testing and its typical workflow. You will discover the basics of Gherkin syntax, a standard syntax for writing BDD specifications. You will learn about popular BDD tools and how to select the best one for your project. This module also covers essential methods for performing BDD with Behave. You will examine how Behave uses the code in feature and steps files to test an application’s behavior from a user’s perspective. You will discover how to build a Behave environment and control test execution at various levels. Then you will explore in detail how to write feature and steps files. In addition, you will learn how to load test data from tables, automate web page interactions with Selenium, and write Python functions for testing application behaviors.

Running Behave for Behavior Driven Development

This module provides an overview of how to use Behave to generate Python steps. Once you know how to generate the steps, you will learn the workflow for implementing them. The next lesson will explain the context variable and how to pass information between Python steps. In addition, you will discuss the benefits of variable substitution for working with Behave and its application in Python steps. Finally, you will practice behavior driven development.

Final Project and Final Exam

In this final module, you will work on a Final project. You will apply many of the technologies and concepts you've learned in the course and will create a microservice for a product catalog backend to an eCommerce application. The UI of the eCommerce application will be used by administrators to maintain the product catalog. This Final Project is divided into two parts. In the first part of this project, you will use good Test Driven Development practices to create a REST API that allows users to Create, Read, Update, Delete, and List products by various attributes. In the second part of this project, you will write Behavior Driven Development scenarios to test that the administrative user interface that has been provided for you behaves as expected. Finally, you will also attempt a final exam to test the concepts learned.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Teaches test-driven development, which is an essential testing method for building robust and resilient software applications

Taught by John Rofrano, who is recognized for his work in software testing

Covers all aspects of test-driven development, from automated testing to advanced methods like test coverage and mocking

Provides hands-on labs and interactive materials, allowing learners to practice their skills

Teaches both test-driven development and behavior-driven development, providing a comprehensive view of automated testing

May require learners to have some prior experience in software testing

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to Test and Behavior Driven Development with these activities:

Review testing concepts

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Refreshing testing concepts will help you understand the basics of automated testing and prepare you for the course.

Browse courses on Software Testing

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Review the types of testing: unit, integration, system, acceptance testing
Review the importance of testing for building robust applications
Review the different testing levels: unit, integration, system, acceptance testing

Explore the basics of TDD using Python

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Following guided tutorials on TDD using Python will help you build a foundation in TDD and prepare you for the hands-on labs in the course.

Browse courses on Python

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Find a tutorial on TDD using Python
Follow the steps in the tutorial to write test cases and build test fixtures
Run the test cases and identify any errors

Practice writing test cases

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Practicing writing test cases will improve your ability to identify and test different scenarios.

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Identify a function or module to test
Write test cases for different scenarios: happy path, sad path, edge cases
Run the test cases and identify any errors
Refactor the test cases and code to improve readability and maintainability

Four other activities

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Participate in a TDD study group

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Participating in a TDD study group will provide you with opportunities to discuss and troubleshoot TDD concepts with peers.

Browse courses on TDD

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Find a TDD study group or create your own
Meet regularly to discuss TDD concepts and best practices
Share code and ideas with each other

Review 'The Art of Unit Testing'

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Reading 'The Art of Unit Testing' will provide you with a deeper understanding of the principles and best practices of unit testing.

View The Art of Unit Testing, Third Edition: with... on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key concepts
Identify areas where you can apply the concepts to your own codebase
Discuss the book with other developers

Create a blog post or tutorial on TDD

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Creating a blog post or tutorial on TDD will help you solidify your understanding of the topic and share your knowledge with others.

Browse courses on TDD

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Choose a specific aspect of TDD to focus on
Write a draft of your blog post or tutorial
Get feedback from other developers
Publish your blog post or tutorial

Mentor other developers on TDD

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Mentoring other developers on TDD will help you solidify your understanding of the topic and contribute to the community.

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Identify opportunities to mentor other developers
Share your knowledge and experience with other developers
Provide guidance and support to other developers

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to Test and Behavior Driven Development will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Software Test Engineer

A Software Test Engineer is responsible for testing software systems to ensure that they meet the requirements and specifications. This role involves developing and executing test plans, analyzing test results, and reporting defects. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software testing principles and practices. This course will help build a foundation for success in this role by providing an overview of TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for testing software effectively and efficiently.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Test Engineer

Test Automation Engineer

A Test Automation Engineer is responsible for automating software testing processes. This role involves developing and maintaining automated test scripts. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software testing principles and practices. This course will help build a foundation for success in this role by providing an overview of TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for automating software testing effectively and efficiently.

See salaries and explore the career path for Test Automation Engineer

DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer is responsible for bridging the gap between development and operations teams. This role involves automating and streamlining the software development process. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software development and operations principles and practices. This course may be useful for DevOps Engineers who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software is reliable and meets the needs of users.

See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer

Quality Assurance Analyst

A Quality Assurance Analyst is responsible for ensuring that software systems meet the required quality standards. This role involves developing and executing test plans, analyzing test results, and reporting defects. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software quality assurance principles and practices. This course will help build a foundation for success in this role by providing an overview of TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software is of high quality.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Analyst

Software Architect

A Software Architect is responsible for designing and developing software systems. This role involves working with stakeholders to define the requirements and specifications for software systems. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software development principles and practices. This course may be useful for Software Architects who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software systems are reliable and meet the needs of users.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Architect

Software Developer

A Software Developer designs, develops, and maintains software applications. This role is responsible for ensuring that software applications are reliable, efficient, and meet the needs of users. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software development principles and practices. This course may be useful for Software Developers who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software is reliable and meets the needs of users.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Software Engineer

A Software Engineer designs, develops, tests, and maintains software systems. The Software Engineer role is responsible for ensuring that software systems are reliable, efficient, and meet the needs of users. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software development principles and practices. This course may be useful for Software Engineers who want to learn more about test driven development (TDD) and behavior driven development (BDD). TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software is reliable and meets the needs of users.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Product Manager

A Product Manager is responsible for managing the development and launch of software products. This role involves working with stakeholders to define the requirements and specifications for software products. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software development principles and practices. This course may be useful for Product Managers who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software products are reliable and meet the needs of users.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Project Manager

A Project Manager is responsible for planning and executing software development projects. This role involves working with stakeholders to define the scope, schedule, and budget for software development projects. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of software development principles and practices. This course will help build a foundation for success in this role by providing an overview of TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software development projects are successful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Computer Vision Engineer

A Computer Vision Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying computer vision models. This role involves working with data scientists and machine learning engineers to develop and implement computer vision models. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of computer vision principles and practices. This course may be useful for Computer Vision Engineers who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that computer vision models are reliable and accurate.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Vision Engineer

Business Analyst

A Business Analyst is responsible for gathering and analyzing business requirements for software systems. This role involves working with stakeholders to define the requirements and specifications for software systems. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of business analysis principles and practices. This course may be useful for Business Analysts who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that software systems meet the needs of users.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Artificial Intelligence Engineer

An Artificial Intelligence Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying artificial intelligence models. This role involves working with data scientists and machine learning engineers to develop and implement artificial intelligence models. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of artificial intelligence principles and practices. This course may be useful for Artificial Intelligence Engineers who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that artificial intelligence models are reliable and accurate.

See salaries and explore the career path for Artificial Intelligence Engineer

Natural Language Processing Engineer

A Natural Language Processing Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying natural language processing models. This role involves working with data scientists and machine learning engineers to develop and implement natural language processing models. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of natural language processing principles and practices. This course may be useful for Natural Language Processing Engineers who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that natural language processing models are reliable and accurate.

See salaries and explore the career path for Natural Language Processing Engineer

Machine Learning Engineer

A Machine Learning Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying machine learning models. This role involves working with data scientists to develop and implement data analysis models. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of machine learning principles and practices. This course may be useful for Machine Learning Engineers who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that machine learning models are reliable and accurate.

See salaries and explore the career path for Machine Learning Engineer

Data Scientist

A Data Scientist is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. This role involves developing and implementing data analysis models. To be successful in this role, professionals must have a strong understanding of data science principles and practices. This course may be useful for Data Scientists who want to learn more about TDD and BDD. TDD and BDD are essential methods for ensuring that data analysis models are reliable and accurate.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist