Optimal Refactoring of Test Case at the Design Level

Abstract

Refactoring is the process of changing a software system aimed at organizing the design of source code, making the system easier to change and less error-prone, while preserving observable behavior. This concept has become popular in Agile software methodologies, such as eXtrerne Programming (XP), which maintains source code as the only relevant software artifact. Refactoring was originally conceived to deal with source code changes. Two key aspects of eXtreme Programming (XP) are unit testing and merciless refactoring. We found that refactoring test code is different from refactoring production code in two ways: (M. B. Cohen et al, 2003) there is a distinct set of bad smells involved, and (John A. Fodeh et al, 2002) improving test code involves additional test code refactoring’s. we describe a set of code smells indicating trouble in test code and a collection of test code refactoring explaining how to overcome some of these problems through a simple program modification. The goal of our present investigations is to share our experience in improving test code with other XP practitioners.