Make Haste, not Waste: Automated System Testing", Extreme Programming and Agile Methods - XP Agile Universe 2003

Abstract

Abstract. Haste (High-level Automated System Test Environment) represents an approach to system testing that is philosophically consistent with standard XP unit testing practices. Test code runs in the same address space as the application under test, allowing for ready examination of application state. The fundamental Haste abstractions of Story, Step, and StoryBook provide a framework to implement system tests. Utility classes simplify test development. In addition to acting as XP acceptance tests, Haste tests aid source maintenance and extension, and can play an important role in a release process. This paper describes the elements of Haste, our experience with using it to test a complex Java Swing application, and the perspective of the client for whom the application was developed. Haste is available under an open source license. Keywords. System, acceptance, automation, GUI, testing, Haste. 1 System Testing System tests validate the soundness and behavior of the application from the user’s perspective [1]. In an XP project, system tests serve as acceptance tests. In this rol