Test-Driving JavaScript Applications »

Learn the craft of writing meaningful, deterministic automated tests with Karma, Mocha, and Chai. Test asynchronous JavaScript, decouple and properly mock out dependencies, measure code coverage, and create lightweight modular designs of both server-side and client-side code. Create code that's predictable and cost-effective to change.

Oct PragPub »

• Grey Areas
• How to Write an Estimate
• Ted Nelson on the Road to Xanadu

Plus: On Tap, Swaine’s World, New Manager’s Playbook, Johanna on Managing Product Development, Antonio on Books, The BoB Pages

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• Agile Web Development with Rails 5 
• The Way of the Web Tester 
• Build Real-Time Web Apps with Phoenix 
• Data Science Essentials in Python 

Debunk the myth that JavaScript is not easily testable. Whether you use Node.js, Express, MongoDB, jQuery, AngularJS, or directly manipulate the DOM, you can test-drive JavaScript. Venkat shows you how in Test-Driving JavaScript Applications: Rapid, Confident, Maintainable Code, now in print and shipping from pragprog.com/book/vsjavas.

And since it's October, there's a new issue of PragPub Magazine. Read on and check it out!

Test-Driving JavaScript Applications: Rapid, Confident, Maintainable Code

Design and code JavaScript applications with automated tests. Writing meaningful tests is a skill that takes learning, some unlearning, and a lot of practice, and with this book, you'll hone that skill. Fire up the editor and get hands-on through practical exercises for effective automated testing and designing maintainable, modular code.

Start by learning when and why to do manual testing vs. automated verification. Focus tests on the important things, like the pre-conditions, the invariants, complex logic, and gnarly edge cases. Then begin to design asynchronous functions using automated tests. Carefully decouple and mock out intricate dependencies such as the DOM, geolocation API, file and database access, and Ajax calls to remote servers.

Step by step, test code that uses Node.js, Express, MongoDB, jQuery, and AngularJS. Know when and how to use tools such as Chai, Istanbul, Karma, Mocha, Protractor, and Sinon. Create tests with minimum effort and run them fast without having to spin up web servers or manually edit HTML pages to run in browsers. Then explore end-to-end testing to ensure all parts are wired and working well together.

Don't just imagine creating testable code, write it.

Now in print and shipping from pragprog.com/book/vsjavas.

October PragPub Magazine

This month in PragPub we’re featuring an excerpt from a new book by John Whitington. A Machine Made this Book: Ten Sketches of Computer Science introduces key topics in computer science to the literate lay reader. “What exactly is a computer program, what and how does it calculate, and how can we build one? Can we compress information to make it easier to store and quicker to transmit? How do newspapers print photographs with grey tones using just black ink and white paper?”

John knows his stuff: he’s the founder of a company that builds software for electronic document processing and he has taught Computer Science at Queens’ College, Cambridge.

Although the book is aimed at novices, the treatment is serious and deep. It would be an enjoyable read for any programmer, a useful tool to have at hand when explaining computer science topics to novices, and a fine example of writing about technology. We think you’ll enjoy his deep dive into the history and technology of reproducing grey tones that we’ve excerpted here.

Also in this issue: Andy Lester shares his thoughts on how to do estimates when you absolutely have to do estimates, Marcus Blankenship talks about the fundamental importance of good personal relationships in software teams and how to foster them, Johanna Rothman explains why technical debt can be a distracting and damaging metaphor, Antonio Cangiano rounds up the latest technical books, and Mike summarizes the tech news of the past month.

And that’s not all: that series on Ted Nelson and Xanadu returns, and we have a puzzle for you to solve. We hope you enjoy this October issue.

Now available from theprosegarden.com.

Upcoming Author Appearances

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