Test-Driven Development in .NET Core - The Handbook from Coursera

This course is designed to take you on an in-depth journey through Test-Driven Development (TDD) with .NET 6/7, emphasizing practical application and real-world scenarios. Starting with the fundamentals, you'll learn how to set up and use .NET 6/7, create test projects, and develop unit tests based on specific requirements. You'll then delve into implementing code that meets these requirements, ensuring your applications return the correct data and function as expected.

As you progress, the course will guide you through more advanced TDD concepts, including the testing and implementation of application core functionalities. You'll explore creating and saving room bookings, checking room availability, and handling various booking scenarios. The lessons are designed to build your confidence and competence in managing exceptions, adding booking IDs, and ensuring the reliability of your code through thorough testing.

Finally, the course culminates with integration testing and continuous integration using GitHub. You’ll refactor projects for better data access, create unit test scenarios for ASP.NET Core applications, and learn to set up and protect GitHub repositories. By the end of the course, you'll be equipped with the skills to run and test your ASP.NET Core applications effectively and streamline your development process with continuous integration techniques.

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction

In this module, we will introduce you to the course content, providing an overview of what you can expect to learn and achieve. We will guide you through the course structure, highlighting the main topics and resources available to enhance your learning experience.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Uses .NET 6/7, which are current versions of the .NET framework, ensuring relevance and applicability to modern .NET development practices

Culminates with integration testing and continuous integration using GitHub, which are essential practices for professional software development workflows

Emphasizes practical application and real-world scenarios, which helps learners apply their knowledge to solve actual problems they may encounter

Teaches skills to set up an SQLite in-memory data store, which is useful for testing ASP.NET Core applications in isolated environments

Requires learners to set up a GitHub account, which may pose a barrier to entry for some learners who are unfamiliar with version control systems

Focuses on creating and saving room bookings, checking room availability, and handling various booking scenarios, which may not be applicable to all projects

Reviews summary

Deep dive into .net tdd principles

According to learners, this course provides a solid, practical foundation in Test-Driven Development for .NET Core. Students particularly appreciate the real-world examples and hands-on approach, finding the lectures clear and well-explained. The course covers unit testing, integration testing, and continuous integration with GitHub effectively. While the instructor's delivery is generally praised, a few comments suggest ensuring all code examples are up-to-date with the latest .NET versions is crucial for a seamless learning experience.

Provides a strong basis in TDD principles.

"This course gave me a really solid foundation in TDD."

"I feel much more confident applying TDD practices after taking this course."

"Excellent starting point for anyone wanting to learn TDD in .NET."

"Helped me understand the 'why' behind TDD, not just the 'how'."

Includes unit, integration testing, and CI.

"The course covers unit testing, integration testing, and continuous integration adequately."

"I appreciated the sections on integration testing and setting up CI with GitHub."

"It provides a good overview of the TDD workflow from unit tests to CI."

"Comprehensive coverage of the testing pyramid relevant to TDD."

Instructor explains complex TDD ideas clearly.

"The instructor explains the concepts very well and in a way that is easy to understand."

"Explanations are clear and concise, making TDD accessible."

"I found the lectures easy to follow, breaking down TDD step-by-step."

"He does a great job of explaining why TDD is important and how to implement it."

Learn TDD through real-world coding examples.

"This course has provided me with the practical skills needed to apply TDD principles effectively."

"I particularly enjoyed the hands-on coding exercises; they solidify the concepts."

"The focus on real-world scenarios makes the learning highly relevant and applicable."

"It's great to see TDD concepts applied directly in a .NET Core project."

Some code may need updates for newer .NET.

"While the content is great, some code examples require minor adjustments for the latest .NET Core versions."

"I had to spend some time updating the project code to work with .NET 7."

"It would be helpful if the code examples were consistently updated to the newest .NET standards."

"Encountered a few small issues compiling the code with newer versions of the framework."

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 Test-Driven Development in .NET Core - The Handbook with these activities:

Review .NET Fundamentals

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Strengthen your understanding of .NET fundamentals to better grasp the TDD concepts and practices covered in the course.

Browse courses on .Net Core

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Review C# syntax and object-oriented programming principles.
Practice writing simple .NET console applications.
Familiarize yourself with .NET Core project structure.

Study 'xUnit Test Patterns'

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Learn best practices for writing effective and maintainable unit tests, which is essential for successful TDD.

View xUnit Test Patterns: Refactoring Test Code... on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key test patterns.
Analyze existing tests in your projects and identify opportunities for improvement.
Apply the test patterns to refactor your tests and make them more robust.

Read 'Working Effectively with Legacy Code'

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Learn techniques for introducing tests into existing codebases, which is a common scenario when applying TDD in real-world projects.

View Brutal Refactoring on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
Identify opportunities to apply the techniques in your own projects.
Experiment with different refactoring strategies.

Four other activities

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Implement TDD on a Small Project

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Apply TDD principles to a small, self-contained project to solidify your understanding and gain practical experience.

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Choose a small project, such as a simple calculator or a to-do list application.
Write failing tests first, then implement the code to pass the tests.
Refactor the code to improve its design and maintainability.
Repeat the process until the project is complete.

Write a Blog Post on TDD Benefits

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Reinforce your understanding of TDD by articulating its benefits and sharing your insights with others.

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Research the benefits of TDD and gather supporting evidence.
Outline the structure of your blog post.
Write the blog post, explaining the benefits of TDD in a clear and concise manner.
Publish the blog post on a platform like Medium or your personal website.

Tutor a Junior Developer in TDD

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Solidify your understanding of TDD by teaching it to someone else.

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Find a junior developer who is interested in learning TDD.
Explain the basic principles of TDD and demonstrate how to apply them.
Provide guidance and support as the junior developer practices TDD.
Answer questions and provide feedback on their code.

Contribute to an Open Source .NET Project

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Apply your TDD skills in a real-world setting by contributing to an open-source .NET project.

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Find an open-source .NET project that uses TDD.
Identify a bug or feature that you can contribute to.
Write tests to reproduce the bug or implement the feature.
Implement the code to fix the bug or implement the feature.
Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Test-Driven Development in .NET Core - The Handbook will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Software Developer

A software developer creates and maintains software applications, and this course is invaluable to that role. The course emphasizes test-driven development, a crucial practice for ensuring software quality. This approach, which the course teaches in depth using .NET 6/7, focuses on writing tests before code, leading to more robust and reliable applications. The course also covers application and integration testing, as well as continuous integration using GitHub, these are all essential components in the software development process. A software developer benefits from the practical, hands-on knowledge of testing and application development that the course provides.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Software Engineer

The role of a software engineer involves designing, developing, and maintaining software systems, and this course on test driven development directly supports the responsibilities of that role. This course emphasizes building applications using Test Driven Development, with a focus on .NET Core. In this course learners will learn to write unit tests, implement code based on those tests, and refactor code for maintainability. This ensures software engineers can deliver well-tested, high-quality applications. A software engineer will also benefit from the modules on integration testing, data access, and continuous integration.

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Test Automation Engineer

A test automation engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining automated test suites for software applications. The course's coverage of test driven development (TDD) with .NET Core will be a central focus here. The course directly teaches the skills needed for this role, including writing unit tests, performing integration tests, and using tools like GitHub for continuous integration. A test automation engineer will find the practical experience in writing tests before code, refactoring, and ensuring code reliability with the skills learned in this course.

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Quality Assurance Engineer

A quality assurance engineer ensures that software meets certain quality standards, and this course will help develop the necessary skills that are beneficial to that work. This course’s emphasis on test driven development teaches crucial skills for writing unit and integration tests. The course provides specific examples of testing in .NET Core, which provides a practical understanding of testing applications and ensuring they meet functionality requirements. A quality assurance engineer will find the skills in creating and running tests, and using GitHub to be immediately applicable to their job.

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Backend Developer

A backend developer focuses on the server-side logic of applications, and this course helps develop some of the skills needed for that role. The course’s emphasis on test driven development in .NET 6/7 provides an extremely practical approach to building server side applications. The course covers important concepts such as implementing code to meet test requirements, refactoring code, and ensuring that applications return the correct and expected data. A backend developer benefits from the practical skills to build a reliable and well tested backend application.

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Application Developer

An application developer builds and maintains software applications, and this course will benefit those wishing for a career in this field. This course is in depth and covers test driven development (TDD) with .NET Core. The course takes learners through the process of creating test projects, writing unit tests, and implementing code to meet those tests, all of which will set an application developer up for success in their career. Additionally the course covers integration and UI testing which also will strengthen the skillset of an application developer.

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Full-Stack Developer

A full stack developer works on both the front-end and back-end of applications. This course may be useful to a full stack developer, because it helps build skills in testing and back end development. The course's emphasis on test-driven development, with modules on unit testing, application core, and data access layer, builds essential skills. A full stack developer may find the course modules on integration testing and UI testing, specifically using ASP.NET Core, immediately useful for ensuring that their full stack applications are robust.

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DevOps Engineer

A DevOps engineer works to bridge the gap between development and operations teams, and this course may prove to be helpful for someone in this role. The course’s instruction in continuous integration using GitHub is directly relevant. The DevOps role requires a strong understanding of automation and testing, both of which are covered in the course. A DevOps engineer will also benefit by the emphasis on creating unit and integration tests, and the ability to implement robust testing strategies.

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Technical Lead

A technical lead is responsible for guiding a team of developers, and this course may prove to be useful for someone in this role, by providing hands on experience with test driven development. This course emphasizes test-driven development (TDD) in .NET which ensures high quality and reliable code. A technical lead may find the modules covering testing of data access layers and ASP.NET applications to be beneficial. Understanding how to implement and manage testing processes that are taught in the course is a valuable skill for a technical lead.

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Solutions Architect

A solutions architect designs and oversees the implementation of software solutions. This course may be useful to a solutions architect, because it helps provide a deeper understanding of development processes. This course on test driven development in .NET core, provides hands on experience, and a solid understanding of the importance of testing in software development. A solutions architect will gain insights into creating robust and testable solutions. They can also learn about continuous integration with GitHub, and use that knowledge when designing software solutions.

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Database Administrator

A database administrator manages and maintains databases. This role may find this course helpful as the course covers some data access concepts. The course touches on data access layer integration testing within the .NET framework. This course may be helpful to a data base administrator as it provides a perspective from the application side of database interactions. This can give a more holistic understanding of data management in a practical setting.

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Project Manager

A project manager oversees software projects. This course may be useful because it gives an understanding of the development process. This course uses test driven development as a development methodology. The course may help a project manager understand how testing influences the development cycle. The project manager can then use these insights to better manage project timelines and set realistic expectations about software quality.

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Systems Analyst

A systems analyst analyzes and designs information systems. This course may be useful for a systems analyst because it gives an understanding of development. The course focuses on test driven development with the .NET framework, which can provide a perspective into software design. A systems analyst may gain insights into how testing and continuous integration influence overall system reliability and quality. This can assist them in providing analysis of system design.

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IT Manager

An IT manager oversees an organization’s information technology systems. This course may be useful because it provides a perspective into development best practices. The course focuses on test driven development with .NET and continuous integration with Github. An IT manager does not need to be deeply technical, but having this knowledge may help improve decision making regarding software development teams and processes, which may be beneficial.

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Technical Writer

A technical writer creates documentation for software and systems. While this course is not directly aligned with writing skills, it may provide a strong understanding of how testing and development fit into the software development process. By learning about test-driven development with .NET and implementation of automated testing frameworks, a technical writer can write more accurate and helpful documentation for end users, and developers using the software.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Test-Driven Development in .NET Core - The Handbook.

xUnit Test Patterns

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Comprehensive guide to writing effective and maintainable unit tests. It covers a wide range of test patterns and anti-patterns, providing practical advice on how to write tests that are easy to understand, reliable, and resistant to change. It is particularly useful for understanding how to structure tests effectively, which key aspect of TDD. This book valuable reference for anyone who wants to improve their unit testing skills.

xUnit Test Patterns: Refactoring Test Code (Addison...

Kindle Edition

$$$

Brutal Refactoring

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Provides invaluable techniques for dealing with existing codebases that lack comprehensive test coverage. It offers strategies for introducing tests into legacy systems, which is crucial for applying TDD principles in real-world scenarios. While not directly about TDD, it complements the course by addressing the challenges of integrating TDD into projects with pre-existing code. This book useful reference for refactoring and improving code quality.

Test-Driven Development in .NET Core - The Handbook

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Deep dive into .net tdd principles

Activities

Career center

Reading list

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