Re: [lmi] Simplify the census-pasting test?

[Vadim Zeitlin]

On Sat, 08 Nov 2014 20:14:41 +0000 Greg Chicares <address@hidden> wrote:

GC> 'wx_test_paste_census.cpp' extracts sample data for pasting from an
GC> html file that is part of the lmi user manual. Wouldn't it be better
GC> to write those data inline in that source file? I think that would
GC> make the code easier to understand, and the test more robust.

 Definitely.

 But OTOH it wouldn't test that the values in the user manual can actually
be pasted and do result in the expected census values (7 columns including
the "Underwriting Class"). I don't know if this test has any value, but I
assumed it did, taking into account the original specification description
of the test. And at least in principle I do see why this could be useful:
documentation could be forgotten to be updated when something in the
program is, and the example here could easily get out of date.

GC> We have routinely used those data for manual testing, but the reason
GC> AFAIK is just that they're conveniently available for manual pasting.
GC> That didactic example was designed mainly to fit on a web page and to
GC> make sense to end users. Some day we might want to make the automated
GC> test more comprehensive, without changing the web page.

 I'd suggest adding another test case with more extensive data, but I think
the existing one should be preserved as well because it can potentially be
useful and there doesn't seem to be any cost associated with keeping it
(the main cost would have been the time spent on developing it, but this
has been already done).

GC> If we ever change the example in the user manual, we will of course
GC> test it manually.

 You certainly know better, but IME anything that has to be done manually
can and does get forgotten eventually. And, as I wrote above, the example
in the documentation could just bit rot due to the changes in the main
program.

 But please let me know if you still prefer to remove this part of the test
and, if so, what data should be used for pasting.

 Thanks,
VZ