Automated testing has received more attention in recent years, especially as one of the cornerstones of XP. Perl's automated testing tools have always been geared towards testing of CPAN modules, but the Perl testing framework is excellent for automating large software projects, too.
Lester discusses real-world strategies of testing large projects, with many code examples. You'll learn to test all code in the project, even if it's not Perl, as well as enforcing coding and documentation standards; how to write a website testing robot with WWW::Mechanize and HTML::Lint; how to test database integrity with Test::DatabaseRow; how to write your own domain-specific Test:: module if the dozens on the CPAN don't suit your purposes.
It's not all about code. You'll also learn the best practices and culture of automated testing, how to get started automating an existing project, and how writing automated tests can help you write better code in less time.
Andy Lester has been a professional programmer for seventeen years, and Perl evangelist for a decade. By day, he manages programmers for Follett Library Resources in McHenry, IL. By night, he edits The Perl Review, beats on his CPAN modules, and does technical editing for O'Reilly and other publishers. He has recently named his daughter Quinn "World's Most Adorable Baby."
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Take 355 to Butterfield Rd (Rt 56). All UniForum Chicago PerlSIG meetings are open to the public free of charge.
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