The Power of Approval Testing: Refactoring Legacy Code Safely

👍Approval testing is a valuable tool for verifying that legacy code still functions as intended after refactoring.

💯Approval tests focus on confirming that code changes do not alter the system's behavior.

🤘These tests can be particularly helpful when working with legacy code without existing tests.

😇Approval testing provides confidence when refactoring by validating that the system still works as expected.

💡It is crucial to understand and define the appropriate scope and use cases for approval testing.

What is approval testing?

—Approval testing is a technique that records and verifies the results of system interactions to ensure the system's behavior remains unchanged after code changes.

When is approval testing useful?

—Approval testing is particularly valuable when refactoring legacy code, as it provides confidence that the system still functions as expected.

How does approval testing work?

—Approval testing involves recording the results of system interactions and comparing them to ensure that subsequent runs produce the same results, confirming that the code changes did not cause unintended behavior.

Are approval tests suitable for all types of code?

—Approval testing is most effective for code without existing tests, such as legacy code. However, it is crucial to determine the appropriate scope and use cases for approval testing.

What are the benefits of approval testing?

—Approval testing helps identify unintended changes in system behavior, facilitates safer refactoring of legacy code, and provides confidence in the code's functionality.

00:00Approval testing initially misunderstood but now recognized as crucial for refactoring legacy code.

00:47The power of approval testing lies in confirming that code changes have not altered the system's behavior.

03:49Approval tests are effective in safe refactoring of legacy code by providing validation of the system's unchanged functionality.

06:04Approval tests record and compare results of system interactions to validate code changes and facilitate safer refactoring.

08:47Coverage analysis helps identify areas of code that require further approval testing.