Multiple Assembly QA Systems?

Question

I'm having difficulty deciding whether or not using multiple assemblies for a QA system is the right approach to take. Here are some important details:

• The underlying system is a single assembly system
• I'm thinking of using multiple assemblies to separate regression, integration, and unit testing. Can these types of testing be split up using NUnit categories instead of assemblies? Which would be a better approach?

Any other comments regarding the use of multiple assemblies vs a single assembly for a QA system would be appreciated. Thanks.

Addendum: Here is some extra information

• I'm trying to create a QA framework for a large existing project
• I will start by writing system-level regression tests then work on creating integration and unit tests
• I am planning on having three layers of code logic: NUnit > Results management > Underlying system logic

Answer 1

They can be split into categories if you want, but test frameworks tend to grow over time, and you don't want to be in the place of refactoring a giant mega test fixture into a number of smaller fixtures. We experienced something very similar and had something like 2000 tests in one DLL; it took hours to complete.

What we've done is both; we create distinct assemblies for close knit sets of functionality that model features or objects. Each assembly has its own namespace that's an extension of a common namespace. Each assembly is also it's own stand alone solution so we don't have to load a single solution with 50+ projects inside it if we don't want to.

We also have a single solution that compiles to "AllTests.dll", which contains instances of each test fixture class. We use this AllTests fixture for selecting a range of tests from the entire project for automated minimum acceptance tests.

This required a middle application we call our test runner that's a wrapper around NUnit and takes an XML file that specifies which test fixtures to run per product. We use this scheme to test 8 different products. Adding a similar layer that tells NUnit which categories to apply can be achieved in this manner if you're set on a single assembly; I can see if it would be possible to provide some sample code to do this if you like.

Using a similar approach will mean a little more work now, but will allow you to snap in new fixtures quickly and manage the size of your framework as it grows.