Unit testing in MS Access

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+3 Q:

Unit testing in MS Access

I have an Access database project that is getting a bit to large to try to keep track of in my head. I know it is a little late in the game, but better late than never right?

I have Googled but found nothing to my satisfaction. Is there any such thing as a unit testing framework for MS VBA?

Not that I'm aware of, but you could use a code review instead.

Beth 2010-08-25 19:12:17

Not a bad idea except for the fact that I am the sole developer on the project!

Icode4food 2010-08-25 19:13:44

What do you want to test? You can let your users do that for you, too.

Beth 2010-08-25 19:18:44

@Beth: That is how it is working right now. Basically what it means is that I release an update and the users tell me if there is anything wrong. This works but...when the same issue keeps happening, it makes sense to be able to automate the test instead of waiting for the users to complain. Maybe I should clarify that this is a custom application for only one company.

Icode4food 2010-08-25 19:21:47

BTW if I feel the need I will "publish" an update every hour or two or although typically every day or two. But if there is an important bug then I will fix just that and get out the update. See Ultra Frequent Application Deployment http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/ufad.htm

Tony Toews 2010-08-26 04:15:20

I've read that and that is very similar to how I work.

Icode4food 2010-08-26 12:07:00

+2 A:

There is VBAUnit for free on SourceForge. Also, the commercial vbUnit 3 may support VBA as well as regular VB ... I'm not sure, though.

HansUp 2010-08-25 19:53:12

Looks interesting. Thanks.

Icode4food 2010-08-25 20:05:59

+1 A:

Personally I think with a combination of the excellent access FE auto updater

http://autofeupdater.com/

And a UAT environment that is either linked into the live data or testing data that should catch most of the problems. I’m also a sole access developer and my model consists of

dev land where I make changes
UAT land where a select few users test the changes and approve
Live land where everyone else lives

The key difference I see between projects is the capability of the people doing the UAT. I had one major release which was migrating from an access back end to SQL server, I sent the email saying that the version was in UAT ready for testing and got one back 30 minutes later saying it had all been tested (impossible) low and behold there was a bug in a very common area.

So in conclusion, set your staged environment up and pick your testers well!

Kevin Ross 2010-08-26 07:22:44

I use Auto FE. Thanks for the UAT suggestions.

Icode4food 2010-08-26 12:08:00

ansaurus

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Unit testing in MS Access

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