Getting Started with FitNesse – a Collaboration Tool for Testers and Developers

Nowadays, the global shift towards Agile approach heightens the importance of obtaining prompt and ongoing feedback for every Scrum team. This changing landscape calls for a change in the perspective of testers as well.

Rather than concentrating on “spotting errors, crushing software, and appraising requirements,” testers are now focused on “assuring quality from the start, testing without the UI, and conducting tests even prior to the UI’s availability.”

The current expectation for testers is adaptability, hence the necessity to shift away from traditional black box testing methods and begin testing preliminary deliverables before the UI is even developed.

But WHY?

“THIS IS TRULY AN AGILE PERSPECTIVE.”

Software development consists of the most basic level of examinations executed at the unit/component level, predominantly carried out by the development team members. Such unit evaluations are technologically oriented and are generally composed in the same language as the testing framework.

In the realm of testing, it’s a prevalent viewpoint that when unit tests are bulletproof, defects can be detected early, simplifying successive testing in a stable environment. Agile practitioners opine that teams proficient in Test-Driven Development (TDD) retrieve immediate feedback through unit level evaluations.

The layer succeeded by the unit/component layer is the Acceptance tests layer, performed by business end-users. These functional inspections have a broader scope than unit tests and are mainly executed by non-developer personnel. They evaluate the layer that supports the UI or the APIs. Inspecting these APIs or methods provide immediate feedback, and by the time GUI is being developed, a majority of functionalities would have been already tested.

FitNesse serves to illustrate an Automated Acceptance Test Layer.

What is FitNesse?

A collaborative amalgamation of a standalone wiki platform and acceptance testing structure is what defines FitNesse. It’s a web-based server that is open-source and wiki-based. The ‘wiki’ aspect allows users to create custom web pages where test tables can be formed. These test tables function as the testing data.

FitNesse aspires to aid the agile modality of black box acceptance and regression testing. It also engages as a Collaboration tool, permitting testers to liaise with developers while formulating the testing suite.

Why should I adopt FitNesse?

Agile testing teams can leverage FitNesse to draft test suites that scrutinize the methodologies within the code. FitNesse is comparable to Junit in terms of testing methods but unlike Junit, the tests in FitNesse are delineated in the form of comprehensible tables, understood by both developers and non-developers.

Perks:

• Immediate feedback via regular running of automated acceptance tests.
• Determinable test outcomes, indicated by red or green highlighting.
• Test data can be crafted to fulfill quality criteria.
• Tests are stated in plain language and exhibited in table-structured format, making them simple to comprehend.
• Test tables outline inputs and expected outcomes.
• Explore all FitNesse amenities here.

So, what am I able to create?

With FitNesse, you can fabricate individual tests and test suites. Tests are instructions for a specific function, while suites are compilations or clusters of tests. For example, upon executing a suite, all the tests within that suite are executed. Hence, careful planning is imperative to efficiently organize tests within a suite.

Downloading and Adjusting FitNesse

=> In order to download FitNesse, Click Here

(Heads Up: Click on any image for a more magnified view)

Download the latest version of the fitnesse-standalone.jar and store it onto your local drive.

Activate a command prompt and run the jar file. For your convenience, I’ve formulated a batch file:

Running the jar file will activate FitNesse, showcased below: (click on the image for a more magnified view)

To access FitNesse, initiate your browser and enter: http://localhost:<portid>. For this instance, the port number used is 2222.

The FitNesse page will appear, exhibited below: (click on image for enlarged view)

On this page, using the Tests dropdown menu, you can assemble a “Suite page” or a “Test Page”. By creating a suite, you are capable of running all the test scripts included within that suite.

For the sake of illustration, we will be concentrating on creating a Test Page.

FitNesse Example – The Items to Adequately Test:

In our example, we will be evaluating a simple calculator application.

Listed below is the Java code:

public class Calculator {
  private int first, second;

  public void setFirst(int first) {
    this.first = first;
  }

  public void setSecond(int second) {
    this.second = second;
  }

  public int addition() {
    return (first + second);
  }

  public int minus() {
    return (first - second);
  }

  public int multiply() {
    return (first * second);
  }

  public float divide() {
    return (first / second);
  }
}

The code in Eclipse:(click on image for enlarged view)

Make sure you compile the code to generate the class file.

Crafting a FitNesse Test

Step #1) Revisit the FitNesse home page via your browser.

On the landing page, click on “Test Page”, key in the test name and click the “Save” button. The test name we’ll be utilising for our example is “Calculator”.

Step #2) Add the title of your test to the URL incorporating a dot (“.”) separator.

Example: http://localhost:2222/FrontPage.Calculator

<img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-6903″ src=”https://iptvassist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/FitNesse7.jpg” alt=’FitNesse7′ width=”363″ height=”150″ srcset=”https://

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