You know that heartbeat you skip when you press ‘run’ and pray everything works? Well, today I shall exhibit a certain method that has been around for some time that will have you save those skipped heartbeats for when your favorite TV show character nearly dies. Enter Test-Driven Development (TDD) – it’s kind of like having a buddy checking your work as you go, making sure you’re on track

Imagine you start cooking a new recipe you found. Would you start cooking without checking if you’ve got all the ingredients? You write a small test for a feature you’re about to whip up, see it fail (because it doesn’t exist yet), and then write just enough code to pass the test. It’s a cycle: write a test, code a bit, make it pass, and clean up your code without changing how it works. Rinse and repeat.

Yes, I’m not a telepath but I know what you are thinking right now, why even bother?

One benefit of TDD is that it nearly eradicates most of the bugs in your code, making you less likely to spend hours hunting down bugs. You’re checking your steps as you go, so you know exactly where things might have gone sideways.
Your code design is going to be more professional because when you write your tests first you can make your code more modular and easier to read, kind of like organizing your closet so that you can find your favorite shirt even in the dark.
Once you have a couple of tests, guess what? You can go update or refactor your code however you like, your tests will let you know if you broke something.
Apparently, the word online is that after getting used to it you’re actually going to code faster. The backtracking time to fix bugs adds a lot to your programming timer even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Okay, It’s not all Sunshine and Rainbows. I personally feel like Test-Driven Development feels like a drag at most times, especially for people who are not used to writing tests before you code, and from what I have experienced so far, writing good tests is an art form on its own. Still, once you start, you might just want to stick with it. The payoff in reducing headaches (I promise I’ll stop using this word in the future) and quality code will be worth it.

I really want to think of TDD as my coding companion, helping to keep my code clean and bug-free. It is somewhat of a mindset shift, more frontloaded work for sure but I feel like it will result in fewer late-night coding sessions and better-quality projects. Whether you are a solo developer or a team player, giving TDD a shot could be a game-changer. So try leading the way with tests next time you sit down to code and see how that goes.

Till next time,

Ano out.