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What are some popular naming conventions for Unit Tests?

Asked 2008-09-18T19:59:56.237
208

General

  • Follow the same standards for all tests.
  • Be clear about what each test state is.
  • Be specific about the expected behavior.

Examples

1) MethodName_StateUnderTest_ExpectedBehavior

Public void Sum_NegativeNumberAs1stParam_ExceptionThrown() 

Public void Sum_NegativeNumberAs2ndParam_ExceptionThrown () 

Public void Sum_simpleValues_Calculated ()

Source: Naming standards for Unit Tests

2) Separating Each Word By Underscore

Public void Sum_Negative_Number_As_1st_Param_Exception_Thrown() 

Public void Sum_Negative_Number_As_2nd_Param_Exception_Thrown () 

Public void Sum_Simple_Values_Calculated ()

Other

  • End method names with Test
  • Start method names with class name
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2 Answers

22

I do name my test methods like other methods using "PascalCasing" without any underscores or separators. I leave the postfix Test for the method out, cause it adds no value. That the method is a test method is indicated by the attribute TestMethod.

[TestMethod]
public void CanCountAllItems() {
  // Test the total count of items in collection.
}

Due to the fact that each Test class should only test one other class i leave the name of the class out of the method name. The name of the class that contains the test methods is named like the class under test with the postfix "Tests".

[TestClass]
public class SuperCollectionTests(){
    // Any test methods that test the class SuperCollection
}

For methods that test for exceptions or actions that are not possible, i prefix the test method with the word Cannot.

[TestMethod]
[ExpectedException(typeOf(ArgumentException))]
public void CannotAddSameObjectAgain() {
  // Cannot add the same object again to the collection.
}

My naming convension are base on the article "TDD Tips: Test Naming Conventions & Guidelines" of Bryan Cook. I found this article very helpful.

answered 2009-08-18T06:40:59.763
-3

As long as you follow a single practice, it doesn't really matter. Generally, I write a single unit test for a method that covers all the variations for a method (I have simple methods;) and then write more complex sets of tests for methods that require it. My naming structure is thus usually test (a holdover from JUnit 3).

answered 2008-09-18T20:04:47.800

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