Test Scripts

A test script can be either a set of instructions to a user or to another piece of code. Generally speaking, I am referring to code-based test scripts in this section. So a good test script should be approached in the same way as the code that it is supposed to be testing. Therefore, it should be designed, documented, commented, and tested. Tested? No, that doesn’t necessarily mean writing a test script for it, but it does mean single-stepping through your test code while it runs to ensure that it is doing what you expect it to. If the code that you are testing is a particularly important piece, the test code should be inspected and walked through as would any normal code. The following rules apply to test scripts:

• Test script functionality should be kept in sync with the application code.
  
  
• The version/revision number of the test script must be the same as the application.
  
  
• Test scripts should be version controlled, just like the application code. Use Microsoft Visual Source Safe (or an equivalent) to keep track of any changes that you make. That way, if you need to roll back to an earlier version of the code for any reason, you will have a valid set of test scripts to go with it.