Modern C++ Programming with Test-Driven Development

If you program in C++ you’ve been neglected. Test-driven development (TDD) is a modern software development practice that can dramatically reduce the number of defects in systems, produce more maintainable code, and give you the confidence to change your software to meet changing needs. But C++ programmers have been ignored by those promoting TDD–until now. In this book, Jeff Langr gives you hands-on lessons in the challenges and rewards of doing TDD in C++.

Modern C++ Programming With Test-Driven Development, the only comprehensive treatment on TDD in C++ provides you with everything you need to know about TDD, and the challenges and benefits of implementing it in your C++ systems. Its many detailed code examples take you step-by-step from TDD basics to advanced concepts. As a veteran C++ programmer, you’re already writing high-quality code, and you work hard to maintain code quality. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

In this book, you’ll learn:

• how to use TDD to improve legacy C++ systems
• how to identify and deal with troublesome system dependencies
• how to do dependency injection, which is particularly tricky in C++
• how to use testing tools for C++ that aid TDD
• new C++11 features that facilitate TDD

As you grow in TDD mastery, you’ll discover how to keep a massive C++ system from becoming a design mess over time, as well as particular C++ trouble spots to avoid. You’ll find out how to prevent your tests from being a maintenance burden and how to think in TDD without giving up your hard-won C++ skills. Finally, you’ll see how to grow and sustain TDD in your team.

Whether you’re a complete unit-testing novice or an experienced tester, this book will lead you to mastery of test-driven development in C++.

What You Need

A C++ compiler running under Windows or Linux, preferably one that supports C++11. Examples presented in the book were built under gcc 4.7.2.

Google Mock 1.6 (downloadable for free; it contains Google Test as well) or an alternate C++ unit testing tool. Most examples in the book are written for Google Mock, but it isn’t difficult to translate them to your tool of choice.

A good programmer’s editor or IDE.

cmake, preferably. Of course, you can use your own preferred make too. CMakeLists.txt files are provided for each project. Examples provided were built using cmake version 2.8.9.

Various freely-available third-party libraries are used as the basis for examples in the book. These include: – cURL – JsonCpp – Boost (filesystem, date_time/gregorian, algorithm, assign) Several examples use the boost headers/libraries. Only one example uses cURL and JsonCpp.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Global Setup
Chapter 2. Test-Driven Development: A First Example
Chapter 3. Test-Driven Development Foundations
Chapter 4. Test Construction
Chapter 5. Test Doubles
Chapter 6. Incremental Design
Chapter 7. Quality Tests
Chapter 8. Legacy Challenges
Chapter 9. TDD and Threading
Chapter 10. Additional TDD Concepts and Discussions
Chapter 11. Growing and Sustaining TDD

Appendix A1. Comparing Unit Testing Tools
Appendix A2. Code Kata: Roman Numeral Converter
Appendix A3. Bibliography