Description

Unit testing with Software AG’s Natural – is that even possible? Let’s find out in the very first episode of the Legacy Coder Podcast.

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Unit testing Natural applications

Why would I want to unit test my Natural code?
- You get instant feedback whether your code works. That’s fun!
- You get a safety net for refactoring and optimizing your Natural code.
- You can catch regression as early as possible. That makes evolving your code base easy and painless.
- Unit tests can be integrated into your build process (Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, Continuous Deployment).
- Unit tests are the first step on your way to a fully automated build process.
What tools are available for unit tests with Natural?
- Subprogram testing within NaturalONE
  - Only subprograms can be tested.
  - Different “language” for defining your tests.
  - Tests have to be defined manually from a GUI.
  - Tests cannot be executed from within Natural itself.
  - Proprietary software maintained by Software AG.
  - Professional support by Software AG is available.
- NatUnit – an open source framework for unit testing with Natural
  - Everything that can be called from a subprogram can be tested (subprogram, subroutine, function).
  - Tests are written in the same language that is used for production code.
  - Tests can be written as Natural code with full IDE support.
  - Tests can be executed within any Natural runtime.
  - Open source project that can be extended by everybody – including yourself.
  - There’s no professional support for the framework.
What do I have to do differently when writing testable Natural modules?
- You need more fine grained modularization!
- You have to decouple the User Interface, Database access, and the core Business Logic from each other.
- You need to extract the functionality to test into its own callable module.