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name: testing-basics description: | Essential testing patterns for any project. Use when: writing tests, setting up testing, or fixing test issues. Triggers: "test", "testing", "unit test", "write tests".

Testing Basics

Core testing patterns that apply to any language or framework.

Test Structure

AAA Pattern

CopyArrange → Act → Assert

Copy# Arrange
user = User(name="Alice")

# Act
result = user.greet()

# Assert
assert result == "Hello, Alice!"

Test Types

Naming Tests

Copytest_[what]_[condition]_[expected]

Examples:

• test_login_valid_credentials_returns_token
• test_checkout_empty_cart_raises_error
• test_search_no_results_returns_empty_list

What to Test

Do Test

• Business logic
• Edge cases
• Error handling
• Public interfaces

Don't Test

• Framework code
• Simple getters/setters
• Implementation details
• External services directly

Test Isolation

Each test should:

• Run independently
• Not depend on order
• Clean up after itself
• Not share state

Mocking

Mock external dependencies, not internal logic:

Copy# Good: mock external service
@patch('app.services.email.send')
def test_signup_sends_welcome_email(mock_send):
    signup(user)
    mock_send.assert_called_once()

# Bad: mock internal implementation
@patch('app.models.user.User._validate')  # Don't do this

Coverage

• Aim for meaningful coverage, not 100%
• Cover happy paths first
• Then error cases
• Then edge cases

Quick Checklist

Before committing:

• Tests pass locally
• New code has tests
• No flaky tests added
• Test names are descriptive