Testing may not be much fun, but it is certainly better than endless bug chasing. Test properly and often to catch bugs as quickly as possible. In the long run, testing will let you spend less time in pursuit of bugs and more time doing more interesting things, such as coding. The following Bug Stoppers summarize the testing concepts described in this chapter.
 | BUG STOPPERS: testing
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| Use lots of different kinds of tests.
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| Test using different techniques.
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| Test at routine, module, subsystem, and system levels.
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| Test during all phases of development.
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| After you finish a routine, step through it using the debugger.
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| Hold code reviews.
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| Test exhaustively if possible.
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| Use black box testing.
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| Use white box testing.
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| Don’t forget, global variables are inputs, too.
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| Plan tests ahead of time.
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| Test continuously throughout the project.
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| Test right away.
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| Have the attitude that testing is intended to catch bugs.
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| Write test routines and save them for later.
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| Look for bugs. Don’t just check tests off a list.
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| Test when you are alert.
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| Retest code any time you make changes.
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| Test when you port code.
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| Start routines from the Immediate window.
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| Examine variables using quick watches and the Immediate window.
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| Modify variables using the Immediate window.
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| Use Ctrl-F9 to jump to other parts of the code.
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| Examine decision statements carefully.
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| Know what outputs to expect before you perform a test.
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| Simulate errors.
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| Find your own bugs.
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| Have someone else test your code, too.
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| Don’t shoot the messenger. Testers do not cause bugs, they only find them.
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| Fix your own code.
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| Simulate user actions to automate testing.
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| Check code coverage and examine unused code.
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| Keep testing until you cannot find any more bugs.
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| Estimate the number of bugs.
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| Estimate bug finding time.
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| Test user interfaces from the top down.
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| Test complex code from the bottom up.
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| Perform a postmortem to learn from your mistakes.
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