Ward Cunningham invented the first
WikiWiki and is considered by many as one of the founders of object oriented programming. He also created a test fixture framework that uses tables for designing and testing procedures, data, and actions in common document formats like Word and Excel. What goes in the cells of the table and which kind of test fixture is used to test it depends on the goal of the test. There are 3 basic types of fixtures and many variations to how they work.
WikiWiki and the fit test framework were first used together by the
Fitnesse project. It a complete Java package that includes a web host.
The best way to explain is by example so here are the three basic Fit fixture types (Click the fixture name to go to the example):
- ColumnFixture
- Used to test an object's procedures with various arguments
- RowFixture
- Used to test database result sets
- ActionFixture
- Used to test the results of a series of actions
Checkout the
CustomerInvolvmentWithExcel page for in depth information on how Excel and HTML test runners can be used independently of this wiki.
Checkout a live example on the
test site where the test fixtures are being developed. Just click the 'Run Tests' link to run the test and see the results.