RPR-Unit testing

Testing R code

 

Keywords:  Code testing in R with the testthat package

 

 

 

Abstract

This unit discusses how to put tests in R into practice with the testthat package.

 

This unit ...

Prerequisites

You need to complete the following units before beginning this one:

• FND-CSC-Test_driven_development (Test Driven Development)

 

Objectives

This unit will ...

• ... introduce the testthat package;
• ... teach how to write tests;
• ... demonstrate best practice to organize your tests.

 

Outcomes

After working through this unit you ...

• ... can write your own tests;
• ... can organize your tests in files and a testing directory to simplify running them.

 

Deliverables

• Time management: Before you begin, estimate how long it will take you to complete this unit. Then, record in your course journal: the number of hours you estimated, the number of hours you worked on the unit, and the amount of time that passed between start and completion of this unit.
• Journal: Document your progress in your Course Journal. Some tasks may ask you to include specific items in your journal. Don't overlook these.
• Insights: If you find something particularly noteworthy about this unit, make a note in your insights! page.

 

Evaluation

Evaluation: NA

This unit is not evaluated for course marks.

 

Contents

Task:

 

• Open RStudio and load the ABC-units R project. If you have loaded it before, choose File → Recent projects → ABC-Units. If you have not loaded it before, follow the instructions in the RPR-Introduction unit.
• Choose Tools → Version Control → Pull Branches to fetch the most recent version of the project from its GitHub repository with all changes and bug fixes included.
• Type init() if requested.
• Open the file RPR-Unit_testing.R and follow the instructions.

 

Note: take care that you understand all of the code in the script. Evaluation in this course is cumulative and you may be asked to explain any part of code.

 

 

Further reading, links and resources

testthat package reference pdf (on CRAN)

 

Notes

 

Self-evaluation

 

 

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If in doubt, ask! If anything about this learning unit is not clear to you, do not proceed blindly but ask for clarification. Post your question on the course mailing list: others are likely to have similar problems. Or send an email to your instructor.

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About ...
 
Author:

Boris Steipe <boris.steipe@utoronto.ca>

Created:

2017-08-05

Modified:

2017-08-05

Version:

1.0

Version history:

• 1.0 New contents
• 0.1 First stub

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