Component testing framework

[Darrell DeBoer <da...@mathiasco.co.uk>]

Hi

I've just started doing some work on the James project, and I'm looking at 
building some new implementations of existing component interfaces. (I've 
already contributed a JDBC-backed UsersRepository).

However, I feel a little "unconfortable" doing this without being able to run 
tests to ensure that behaviour is the same between different implementations 
of the same interface. I set up some JUnit tests for the interface behaviour, 
but I'm not sure how to get the components initalised and configured. 

Basically, I'd like to set up a framework whereby the test for a particular 
component interface would be identical for all implementations, with the 
actual test configuration being loaded from an XML config file. (The 
initialisation should be limited to the tested component itself and any 
dependencies.)  Given such a framework, the testing of different 
implementations would be pluggable in the same way that the implementations 
can be plugged into the real product. This would be a great help, whether 
modifying existing implementations, creating new implementaions or comparing 
differences (eg performance) between different implementations.

I'm sure that this can be done, but I'm not quite sure where to start. I've 
had a poke around the avalon source, and I'm guessing that I'd use the 
Excalibur packages? Is there an example demonstrating simple component 
initialisation / configuration from an XML file? Better still, is there 
already a component testing framework in place?!?

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Daz


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Re: Component testing framework

[giacomo <gi...@apache.org>]

On Thu, 14 Jun 2001, Darrell DeBoer wrote:

> Hi
>
> I've just started doing some work on the James project, and I'm looking at
> building some new implementations of existing component interfaces. (I've
> already contributed a JDBC-backed UsersRepository).
>
> However, I feel a little "unconfortable" doing this without being able to run
> tests to ensure that behaviour is the same between different implementations
> of the same interface. I set up some JUnit tests for the interface behaviour,
> but I'm not sure how to get the components initalised and configured.
>
> Basically, I'd like to set up a framework whereby the test for a particular
> component interface would be identical for all implementations, with the
> actual test configuration being loaded from an XML config file. (The
> initialisation should be limited to the tested component itself and any
> dependencies.)  Given such a framework, the testing of different
> implementations would be pluggable in the same way that the implementations
> can be plugged into the real product. This would be a great help, whether
> modifying existing implementations, creating new implementaions or comparing
> differences (eg performance) between different implementations.
>
> I'm sure that this can be done, but I'm not quite sure where to start. I've
> had a poke around the avalon source, and I'm guessing that I'd use the
> Excalibur packages? Is there an example demonstrating simple component
> initialisation / configuration from an XML file? Better still, is there
> already a component testing framework in place?!?

Shouldn't this be the area where avalon-testlet comes into play?

Giacomo


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