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Unit Tests

Testing Library​

  1. Pytest
  2. Jest
  3. VSCode Testing Suite

1. Pytest​

Used for testing the Flask API Modules:

  • Pytest-cov
    • Generates test coverage reports in HTML format.
  • Pytest-mock
    • Enables the creation of mock objects for simulating dependencies.

Key Features​

  • Supports fixtures to set up test environments.
  • Provides detailed test failure reports with traceback information.
  • Enables parameterized tests for efficient testing of multiple scenarios.
  • Generates test coverage reports with pytest-cov to track untested code.
  • Supports mocking API calls and database interactions with pytest-mock.

Why it was chosen​

  • Simple syntax and easy integration with Flask applications.
  • Built-in support for fixtures, assertions, and test discovery.
  • Comprehensive test coverage capabilities to ensure API stability.
  • Widely used in Python testing frameworks.

Running the unit tests​

To run the unit tests for the Flask API:

Windows​

cd webserver
py -m venv .venv
.venv/Scripts/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pytest tests -v  # -v for verbose output
coverage run -m pytest
coverage html  # Generates HTML coverage report

Mac/Linux​

cd webserver
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pytest tests -v  # -v for verbose output
coverage run -m pytest
coverage html  # Generates HTML coverage report

2. Jest​

Used for unit testing core functionalities within the Visual Studio Code extension.

Modules:

  • jest – The main testing framework that runs unit tests efficiently in a Node.js environment.
  • ts-jest – Integrates Jest with TypeScript, enabling seamless testing of TypeScript code.

Key features​

  • Built-in mocking capabilities for API calls and dependencies.
  • Code coverage reports to monitor untested portions of the extension.
  • Asynchronous test support for handling Promises and async functions.

Why it was chosen​

  • Simple and intuitive API, making unit testing easy to write and maintain.
  • Optimized for Node.js-based applications, aligning well with VS Code Extensions.
  • Good mocking features for testing interactions with VS Code’s API without running a full VS Code instance.
  • Fast execution compared to other testing frameworks, reducing development cycle time.

Running the unit tests​

To run the Jest tests:

cd extension
npm install
npx jest [name of test file]  # Run a specific test
npx jest --coverage  # Run all tests with coverage report

Test Structure​

  • Each feature's methods will be encapsulated in a dedicated test file. For example:
    • suggestions.test.ts – Contains all related tests for fetching, modifying, and handling suggestions.
  • Running a Specific Test File
npx jest suggestions.test.ts

3. VSCode Testing Suite​

Modules:

  • @vscode/test-cli – Provides command-line tools for running VS Code extension tests.
  • @vscode/test-electron – Runs tests in an Electron environment, simulating VS Code’s runtime.

Key Features​

  • Allows running integration tests in a real VS Code instance.
  • Supports launching VS Code in a headless mode for automated testing.
  • Provides API hooks to interact with the VS Code extension environment.

Why it was chosen​

  • Preinstalled when creating VS Code extensions.
  • Enables thorough testing of UI interactions and command execution.

Running the unit tests​

To run the VS Code extension tests:

cd extension
npm install
npm test