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At the Forge - Testing JavaScript

Issue 191

From Issue #191
March 2010

May 01, 2010  By Reuven M. Lerner
 in
A look at Screw.Unit, a framework for JavaScript testing.
Conclusion

Screw.Unit is an easy-to-understand, easy-to-use framework for testing your JavaScript code. It is not the only test system of its kind, but the fact that its syntax is reminiscent of RSpec makes it easier for people like me, who like and use RSpec, to start using it quickly. RSpec advocates also will want me to point out that Screw.Unit offers JavaScript developers the same sort of BDD that characterizes RSpec and Cucumber, focusing on the results that the user sees, rather than the internal workings.

If you have never tested your JavaScript before, there's no time like the present to begin! If nothing else, you want to be sure that clicking on various parts of your HTML page does not lead to errors.

Resources

The home page for the main version of Screw.Unit is at GitHub at github.com/nkallen/screw-unit. The documentation on that page is somewhat sparse, but it offers several examples of how to create and use Screw.Unit tests.

A small tutorial for Screw.Unit, also hosted at GitHub, is at github.com/bsiggelkow/screw-unit-tutorial. This tutorial uses the Sinatra framework for Web applications, so you need to have a copy of Ruby and the Sinatra gem for Ruby in order to get started.

There is an e-mail list for Screw.Unit users, and you can subscribe at groups.google.com/group/screw-unit.

A blog post, based on the e-mail message that showed me the importance of not using the click() method and describing in greater detail how to write better tests, is available at blog.runcoderun.com/post/177871245.

jQuery, the JavaScript library used in Screw.Unit and one you might want to explore for your own in-browser applications, is at jquery.org.

Reuven M. Lerner, a longtime Web/database developer and consultant, is a PhD candidate in learning sciences at Northwestern University, studying on-line learning communities. He recently returned (with his wife and three children) to their home in Modi'in, Israel, after four years in the Chicago area.

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