Test Driven Development or The Robotics Primer

Test Driven Development: By Example

Author: Kent Beck

Clean code that works--now. This is the seeming contradiction that lies behind much of the pain of programming. Test-driven development replies to this contradiction with a paradox--test the program before you write it.

A new idea? Not at all. Since the dawn of computing, programmers have been specifying the inputs and outputs before programming precisely. Test-driven development takes this age-old idea, mixes it with modern languages and programming environments, and cooks up a tasty stew guaranteed to satisfy your appetite for clean code that works--now.

Developers face complex programming challenges every day, yet they are not always readily prepared to determine the best solution. More often than not, such difficult projects generate a great deal of stress and bad code. To garner the strength and courage needed to surmount seemingly Herculean tasks, programmers should look to test-driven development (TDD), a proven set of techniques that encourage simple designs and test suites that inspire confidence.

By driving development with automated tests and then eliminating duplication, any developer can write reliable, bug-free code no matter what its level of complexity. Moreover, TDD encourages programmers to learn quickly, communicate more clearly, and seek out constructive feedback.

Readers will learn to:

Solve complicated tasks, beginning with the simple and proceeding to the more complex.

Write automated tests before coding.

Grow a design organically by refactoring to add design decisions one at a time.

Create tests for more complicated logic, including reflection and exceptions.

Use patterns to decide whattests to write.

Create tests using xUnit, the architecture at the heart of many programmer-oriented testing tools.

This book follows two TDD projects from start to finish, illustrating techniques programmers can use to easily and dramatically increase the quality of their work. The examples are followed by references to the featured TDD patterns and refactorings. With its emphasis on agile methods and fast development strategies, Test-Driven Development is sure to inspire readers to embrace these under-utilized but powerful techniques.

0321146530B10172002

Table of Contents:

	Preface
	Acknowledgments
	Introduction
Pt. I	The Money Example	1
Ch. 1	Multi-Currency Money	3
Ch. 2	Degenerate Objects	11
Ch. 3	Equality for All	15
Ch. 4	Privacy	19
Ch. 5	Franc-ly Speaking	23
Ch. 6	Equality for All, Redux	27
Ch. 7	Apples and Oranges	33
Ch. 8	Makin' Objects	35
Ch. 9	Times We're Livin' In	39
Ch. 10	Interesting Times	45
Ch. 11	The Root of All Evil	51
Ch. 12	Addition, Finally	55
Ch. 13	Make It	61
Ch. 14	Change	67
Ch. 15	Mixed Currencies	73
Ch. 16	Abstraction, Finally	77
Ch. 17	Money Retrospective	81
Pt. II	The xUnit Example	89
Ch. 18	First Steps to xUnit	91
Ch. 19	Set the Table	97
Ch. 20	Cleaning Up After	101
Ch. 21	Counting	105
Ch. 22	Dealing with Failure	109
Ch. 23	How Suite It Is	113
Ch. 24	xUnit Retrospective	119
Pt. III	Patterns for Test-Driven Development	121
Ch. 25	Test-Driven Development Patterns	123
Ch. 26	Red Bar Patterns	133
Ch. 27	Testing Patterns	143
Ch. 28	Green Bar Patterns	151
Ch. 29	xUnit Patterns	157
Ch. 30	Design Patterns	165
Ch. 31	Refactoring	181
Ch. 32	Mastering TDD	193
	App. I: Influence Diagrams	207
App. II	Fibonacci	211
	Afterword	215
	Index	217

Book about: Eat More Weigh Less or Weight Watchers Great Cooking Every Day

The Robotics Primer

Author: Maja J Mataric

The Robotics Primer offers a broadly accessible introduction to robotics for students at pre-university and university levels, robot hobbyists, and anyone interested in this burgeoning field. The text takes the reader from the most basic concepts (including perception and movement) to the most novel and sophisticated applications and topics (humanoids, shape-shifting robots, space robotics), with an emphasis on what it takes to create autonomous intelligent robot behavior. The core concepts of robotics are carried through from fundamental definitions to more complex explanations, all presented in an engaging, conversational style that will appeal to readers of different backgrounds.

The Robotics Primer covers such topics as the definition of robotics, the history of robotics ("Where do Robots Come From?"), robot components, locomotion, manipulation, sensors, control, control architectures, representation, behavior ("Making Your Robot Behave"), navigation, group robotics, learning, and the future of robotics (and its ethical implications). To encourage further engagement, experimentation, and course and lesson design, The Robotics Primer is accompanied by a free robot programming exercise workbook.

The Robotics Primer is unique as a principled, pedagogical treatment of the topic that is accessible to a broad audience; the only prerequisites are curiosity and attention. It can be used effectively in an educational setting or more informally for self-instruction. The Robotics Primer is a springboard for readers of all backgrounds--including students taking robotics as an elective outside the major, graduate studentspreparing to specialize in robotics, and K-12 teachers who bring robotics into their classrooms.