Backbone.js Testing

Ryan Roemer

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781782165248
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Application Development
• Index: Computer Science

In Detail

Frontend web applications are soaring in popularity and the Backbone.js library is leading this charge with a modular, lightweight approach for organizing JavaScript web applications. At the same time, testing client-side JavaScript and Backbone.js programs remains a difficult and tedious undertaking.

Backbone.js Testing brings sensible practices and current techniques to the challenges of Backbone.js test development. The book introduces fundamental testing concepts, comprehensive test infrastructure design, and practical exercises to easily and systematically test modern JavaScript web applications.

The book progresses from Mocha test suites and Chai assertions to advanced test mocks and stubs with Sinon.JS. The requisite libraries and utilities are introduced with in-depth examples and best practices for integration with your applications. The book guides you through the test planning and implementation processes for your application models, views, routers, and other Backbone.js components.

Backbone.js Testing gives you the tools, examples, and assistance to test your Backbone.js web applications thoroughly, quickly, and with confidence.

Approach

This book is packed with step-by-step tutorials and instructions in recipe format to help you create test infrastructures and gradually advance your Backbone.js application development and testing skills.

Who this book is for

If you are a JavaScript developer looking to create and implement test support for your Backbone.js applications, then this book is ideal for you.

Backbone.js Testing

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Table of Contents

Backbone.js Testing

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more

Why Subscribe?

Free Access for Packt account holders

Preface

What this book covers

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Setting Up a Test Infrastructure

Designing an application and test repository structure

Getting the test libraries

Mocha

Chai

Sinon.JS

Setting up and writing our first tests

The test driver page

Adding some tests

Running and assessing test results

The first test report

Test report actions

Test timing and slow tests

Test failures

Summary

2. Creating a Backbone.js Application Test Plan

A Backbone.js refresher

Selecting a Backbone.js application to test

Getting acquainted with the Notes application

The anatomy of the Notes application

Test paradigms and methods

Testing concepts, approaches, and planning

Testing individual Backbone.js components

Models

Collections

Templates

Views

Routers

Utilities

Testing application interactions and events

Partial integrations

Events

Dipping our toes in the application testing waters

Namespace

Note model

Running the application tests

Summary

3. Test Assertions, Specs, and Suites

Choosing a test style that fits

Mocha test interfaces

Chai assertion styles

Trying out some different styles

Mocha and Chai BDD interfaces

Mocha TDD and Chai assert styles

Deciding on the project style

A tour of the Chai assertion library

Chaining objects and assertions

Basic value assertions

Comparing values

Object and array validation

Errors

Getting the application and tests ready to run

The Mocha test runner

Reconfiguring the application for testing

Organizing topics and specifications into test suites

Starting up and winding down tests

Writing Mocha test specifications

Asynchronous behavior in tests

Some Backbone.js collection tests

Testing and supporting Backbone.js views

The Notes application single note view

Creating HTML fixtures for view tests

Walking through the view test suite

Aggregating and running the application tests

Test development tips, tricks, and hints

Isolating and excluding tests

Writing testable application code

Summary

4. Test Spies

Fake it 'til you make it

Getting to know Sinon.JS

Spying on functions with Sinon.JS

Anonymous spies

Spy assertions

Function spies

Object method spies

Playing in the sandbox with Sinon.JS test helpers

Delving into the Sinon.JS spy API

The spy API

The spy call API

Spicing up Chai with the Sinon.JS plugin

Introducing and installing Chai plugins

The Sinon.JS plugin

Testing Backbone.js components with spies

The Notes menu bar view

The menu bar view

Testing and spying on the menu bar view

The Notes single note view

The single note view

Testing the single note view

Hooking up and running the view tests

Summary

5. Test Stubs and Mocks

Replacing method behaviors with Sinon.JS stubs

Getting started with stubs

The stub API

Faking and verifying behavior with Sinon.JS mocks

Deciding when to mock

The mock API

Testing Backbone.js components with stubs and mocks

Ensuring stubs and mocks are actually bound

The Notes list item view

The list item view

Testing the list item view

The Notes application router

Running the view and router tests

Finding the rest of the Notes application components

A few more Sinon.JS test helpers

Fake timers

Fake servers

The fake server API

Faking the remote backend in a Backbone.js application

Summary

6. Automated Web Testing

The world of testing beyond humans and browsers

Continuous integration

Continuous deployment

Other scenarios

Automating browser environments

Remote controlled web browsers

Simulated browser environments

Headless web browsers

Multiple environment aggregators

Headless testing with PhantomJS

Installing PhantomJS and the supporting tools

Running Backbone.js tests with PhantomJS

Automating tests in the code samples

Parting thoughts, next steps, and future ideas

Summary

Index

Backbone.js Testing

Copyright © 2013 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: July 2013

Production Reference: 1050713

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

35 Livery Street

Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78216-524-8

www.packtpub.com

Cover Image by Robin Chin Roemer (<[email protected]>)

Credits

Author

Ryan Roemer

Reviewers

Casey Foster

Jim Newbery

Acquisition Editor

Martin Bell

Commissioning Editor

Shreerang Deshpande

Technical Editor

Sumedh Patil

Copy Editors

Insiya Morbiwala

Alfida Paiva

Laxmi Subramanian

Project Coordinator

Sneha Modi

Proofreaders

Maria Gould

Paul Hindle

Indexer

Tejal Soni

Production Coordinator

Arvindkumar Gupta

Cover Work

Arvindkumar Gupta

About the Author

Ryan Roemer is the Director of Engineering at Curiosity Media, a language learning startup, where he manages technical operations and leads the development team. He develops (and tests) full-stack JavaScript applications and backend Node.js services. He also works with data mining, cloud architectures, and problems related to large scale distributed systems.

He was previously an engineer in the cloud computing storage group of Microsoft's Azure platform and most recently developed the search and cloud architecture for IP Street, a patent data mining startup. Besides engineering, he is a registered patent attorney (inactive), although it has been a long...

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