software

Python data-driven testing, ddt and @unpack

less than 1 minute read

Several eons ago, I wrote a blog post about using the python ddt package. My only criticism was that you had to manually pack/unpack the test case arguments.

Empathetic Code

5 minute read

I always liked the phrase, “if you’re incapable of empathy, then you shouldn’t be designing APIs”.

A R#/Visual Studio style keymap for PyCharm

less than 1 minute read

PyCharm is a lovely little IDE for Python by the splendid JetBrains, but the built-in Visual Studio keymap is not much like the default VS/R# settings I’m ac...

The wonders of Debugger.Launch()

1 minute read

Ever worked on a project that involved spawning new .NET processes? (as in, one [arbitrary] program launches another .NET executable) I’ve had to do this on ...

Data-Driven Testing with Python

4 minute read

Hello tests. It’s been a while since I blogged about automated testing, so it’s nice to welcome an old friend back to the fold. I’ve missed you. I’ve recentl...

The Power of Boy Scouting & Git Stash

3 minute read

No, I’m not advocating beavering your way to several badges while wearing ill-fitting shorts, a neckerchief fastened with a woggle and risking a criminal rec...

Moving Origin Games to a different drive

less than 1 minute read

I wanted to move my BF3 install to my SSD but couldn’t figure out how to do it. Numerous posts suggested things, but none worked until I found this:

Unity3d - Threadpool Exceptions

2 minute read

A quickie, but something to be very wary of. I’ve been using Unity3d of late (I recommend it – it’s a very opinionated and sometimes quirky bit of software, ...

Unit? Integration? Functional? Wha?

4 minute read

I answered a question titled, “What’s the difference between unit, functional, acceptance and integration tests?” on Stackoverflow and thought it’d be useful...

Stackoverflow is good… but

1 minute read

Stackoverflow is a phenomenally useful resource with a huge community. You can post questions that span the full gamut of programming, from ponderous questio...

Castle DynamicProxy2 quirks

3 minute read

I’ve been faffing around with Castle.DynamicProxy2 a bit lately and it’s a pretty interesting bit of kit. Castle Dynamic Proxy (CDP) allows you to dynamicall...

Debug.Assert vs. Exceptions

1 minute read

“When should I use Debug.Assert and when should I use exceptions?” - It’s a fairly sensible question to ask, but you’ve got to sift through a lot of articles...

Invert logical statements to reduce nesting

2 minute read

As a test engineer, I spend a lot of my time reading -and making sense of- other people’s code. I find it interesting that logically equivalent, re-arranged ...