jasonwarrenuk/testing-obsessive

Testing Foundations

Comprehensive testing guidance for JavaScript/TypeScript applications, with emphasis on Vitest, Svelte component testing, and pragmatic test-after development. Addresses testing as a professional skill for portfolio evidence and code quality.

When This Skill Applies

Use this skill when:

• Writing new tests for features or components
• Setting up testing infrastructure
• Debugging failing tests
• Discussing testing strategies or coverage goals
• Refactoring tests for better maintainability
• Questions about testing best practices
• Deciding what to test and when

Testing Philosophy

Why Test?

Not for 100% coverage - Test for:

1. Confidence - Deploy without fear
2. Documentation - Tests show how code should be used
3. Refactoring safety - Change implementation without breaking behaviour
4. Regression prevention - Bugs stay fixed
5. Design feedback - Hard-to-test code often signals design issues

The Testing Pyramid

       /\
      /  \     E2E Tests
     /    \    (Few, slow, expensive)
    /------\
   /        \  Integration Tests
  /          \ (Some, medium speed)
 /------------\
/              \ Unit Tests
----------------  (Many, fast, cheap)

Distribution target:

• 70% Unit tests - Fast, isolated, test single functions/modules
• 20% Integration tests - Test component interactions, API calls
• 10% E2E tests - Test critical user journeys

Pragmatic Approach

Test-after development workflow:

1. Implement working feature
2. Manual verification
3. Assess risk (see Risk-Based Testing)
4. Write automated tests for high/medium risk code
5. Refactor with test safety net

This approach:

• Lets you prototype quickly
• Tests based on real implementation
• Focuses effort where it matters
• Builds confidence incrementally

Risk-Based Testing

Prioritize testing based on risk assessment

Risk Dimensions

Impact - What breaks if this fails?

• Critical: Data loss, security breach, payment failures
• High: Core features broken, bad UX
• Medium: Minor features affected
• Low: Cosmetic issues

Complexity - How likely to have bugs?

• High: Complex algorithms, async logic, edge cases
• Medium: Standard business logic
• Low: Simple CRUD, straightforward functions

Change Frequency - How often modified?

• High: Rapidly evolving features
• Medium: Occasional updates
• Low: Set-and-forget code

Testing Priority Matrix

HIGH PRIORITY (Must test):
✓ Payment/financial logic
✓ Authentication/authorization
✓ Data validation and persistence
✓ Critical user journeys
✓ Complex algorithms
✓ API integrations
✓ Security-sensitive code
✓ Accessibility requirements (keyboard nav, screen reader, contrast)

MEDIUM PRIORITY (Should test):
✓ Business logic with multiple branches
✓ Utility functions used across codebase
✓ Form validation
✓ Data transformations
✓ Error handling paths
✓ Frequently changed features

LOW PRIORITY (Optional):
- Simple getters/setters
- UI styling/layout
- Configuration files
- Straightforward CRUD operations
- One-time scripts

Risk Assessment Example

// HIGH RISK - Must test
// Impact: Critical (payments)
// Complexity: High (currency conversion, rounding)
// Change frequency: Medium
function calculateOrderTotal(items, discounts, taxRate) {
  // Complex calculation logic
  // Write comprehensive tests
}

// MEDIUM RISK - Should test
// Impact: Medium (UX issue if broken)
// Complexity: Medium (validation rules)
// Change frequency: Low
function validateEmail(email) {
  // Standard validation
  // Write basic tests
}

// LOW RISK - Optional
// Impact: Low (cosmetic)
// Complexity: Low (simple assignment)
// Change frequency: Low
function getUserDisplayName(user) {
  return user.name || user.email;
  // Can skip testing, or add simple test
}

Test-After Development Workflow

Step 1: Implement Feature

Focus on making it work:

• Write working code
• Manual testing in browser/console
• Get feedback from users/stakeholders
• Iterate on implementation

Don't worry about tests yet - understand the problem first.

Step 2: Manual Verification

Test the feature manually:

• Happy path works
• Edge cases handled
• Error states graceful
• Performance acceptable

Document interesting cases - these become test scenarios.

Step 3: Risk Assessment

Ask yourself:

• What's the impact if this breaks?
• How complex is this code?
• Will this change frequently?
• Are there edge cases I'm worried about?

Use the priority matrix to decide testing level.

Step 4: Write Automated Tests

Based on risk assessment:

High priority - Comprehensive tests:

describe('calculateOrderTotal', () => {
  it('should calculate total with single item');
  it('should apply percentage discount');
  it('should apply fixed discount');
  it('should calculate tax correctly');
  it('should handle multiple currencies');
  it('should round to 2 decimal places');
  it('should throw on negative prices');
  it('should handle empty cart');
});

Medium priority - Essential tests:

describe('validateEmail', () => {
  it('should accept valid email');
  it('should reject invalid format');
  it('should reject missing domain');
});

Low priority - Skip or minimal:

// Maybe one smoke test if you're feeling thorough
it('should return user name when available', () => {
  expect(getUserDisplayName({ name: 'Alice' })).toBe('Alice');
});

Step 5: Refactor with Confidence

Now that tests exist:

• Optimize performance
• Improve code structure
• Rename variables
• Extract functions

Tests catch regressions while you improve code.

Test-Driven Bug Fixing

When bugs are found, use this workflow:

1. Reproduce Bug

Write failing test that reproduces the issue:

it('should handle empty cart without crashing', () => {
  // This currently fails
  const result = calculateOrderTotal([], [], 0.2);
  expect(result).toBe(0);
});

2. Fix Bug

Implement the fix:

function calculateOrderTotal(items, discounts, taxRate) {
  if (items.length === 0) return 0; // Fix
  
  // Rest of logic...
}

3. Verify Test Passes

Run test suite, confirm:

• New test passes
• No regressions

4. Keep Test for Regression

This test now prevents the bug from returning.

Benefits:

• Documents bug fixes
• Builds test suite organically
• Prevents regression
• Forces you to understand the bug

Additional resources

Mechanical how-to and reference material, loaded only when needed:

• vitest-patterns.md — Vitest setup, unit/component/mocking/async test patterns, test organisation, coverage config, matcher and query quick reference
• pitfalls-and-accessibility.md — common testing mistakes (over-mocking, brittle selectors, implementation-detail testing) and accessibility test patterns
• portfolio-evidence.md — how testing decisions double as apprenticeship/portfolio evidence

Success Criteria

Tests are effective when they:

• Pass reliably (no flakiness)
• Run quickly (<1s for unit tests)
• Test behaviour, not implementation
• Catch real bugs before production
• Give confidence to refactor
• Focus on high-risk code
• Serve as documentation
• Reflect professional judgment about priorities
• Include accessibility checks for user-facing components