I have a method Fetch, GetExchangeRate and method FetchOnDemand. FetchOnDemand checkds if Fetch is not called during one day it calls it.
GetExchangeRate calls FetchOnDemand first then does its particular job.
How can I test a FetchOnDemand.
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Could you elaborate on how FetchOnDemand checks if Check has been called? Best scenario would be a code sniplet that shows how your components are structured... What inputs / outputs do you have? – Martin Dec 2 '13 at 13:04
I assume you are asking how to test code that is time-dependent.
One strategy is to refactor the code under test so that you control the definition of the current time. For example, in Java, instead of calling System.currentTimeMillis(), you might call a method on a "time provider" interface. The default to implementation of that interface would call System.currentTimeMillis(). For test purposes, you would use a test implementation that would return a time that you would control.
Another strategy is to provide a way to override your reference time. Suppose your code looks like this:
Fetch() {
fetch something;
lastFetchTime = current time;
}
FetchOnDemand() {
if (lastFetchTime is at least a day ago) {
Fetch();
}
}
If you add a SetLastFetchTime() method, your test can control lastFetchTime.
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Perhaps you could lookup the .NET API for getting the current system time. – user246 Dec 3 '13 at 20:39
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Creating an interface for getting a time in module does not sounds good for me. Can you suggest anything else? – TIKSN Dec 4 '13 at 10:05
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Done. This isn't hard, but it still requires adding test hooks to the code under test. – user246 Dec 5 '13 at 0:08
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This is a great article on the subject that I've found very comprehensive and helpful. It's great for starting the conversation with your development team to make these sorts of things more test-friendly.
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Very good article but unfortunately it did not helped me with my time issue because in .NET you cannot change a system time. Even more my tests should be running on Visual Studio Online, which won't let me to change its system time. – TIKSN Dec 22 '13 at 17:33
