Check the happy path to be happy! TL;DR: Ensure you fail the test when no exception is thrown in invalid conditions. Problems Silent faulty tests
Missing failure condition
Poor error validation
Unclear test outcome
Skipped test logic Solutions Add failure assertion
Explicit exception validation
Test invalid actions
Catch specific errors
Check all your test paths
Use mutation testing Context When writing tests you expect certain cases to throw exceptions. If you forget to add a fail condition when no exception is thrown, your test might pass silently. If breaking some contract doesn't raise an exception, the test will still pass without you noticing the issue. Always include a failure condition to ensure the test fails when the expected exception isn't thrown. Sample Code Wrong // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3");  
// First hit
            
try {
    game.fireAt("A3"); 
     // Firing at the same spot
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.', 
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Right // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3"); 
// First hit

try {
    game.fireAt("A3");
     // Firing at the same spot
    
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
     cnsole.assert(false, 
        'An exception should have been thrown' .
        ' for firing at the same position.');
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
  
  
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.',
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Detection [x]Semi-Automatic You can detect this smell by looking for try-catch blocks without a failure condition after an action that should throw an exception. Test cases expecting exceptions should always include assert(false) right after the invalid action. Tags Testing Level [x]Intermediate AI Generation AI generators can create this smell because they often focus on handling exceptions but might miss adding failure conditions when the exception doesn't occur. This leads to the silent passing of faulty tests. AI Detection AI can detect this smell if you instruct it to check for missing failure assertions after expected exceptions. It can automatically add the missing condition to ensure tests fail properly when no exception is thrown. Try Them!
Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Conclusion You must include a fail condition when testing invalid actions like firing at the same position in Battleship. This ensures the test fails if no exception is thrown, preventing silent errors. Always validate the error message and ensure your tests catch valid and invalid behaviors. Related Reading https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxvii Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. Credits: Photo by Nik on Unsplash Time invested in writing tests and refactoring delivers impressive returns in delivery speed, and Continuous Integration is a core part of making that work in a team setting Martin Fowler https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series on HackerNoon: How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code Check the happy path to be happy! Check the happy path to be happy! TL;DR: Ensure you fail the test when no exception is thrown in invalid conditions. TL;DR: Ensure you fail the test when no exception is thrown in invalid conditions. Problems Silent faulty tests Missing failure condition Poor error validation Unclear test outcome Skipped test logic Silent faulty tests Missing failure condition Poor error validation Unclear test outcome Skipped test logic Solutions Add failure assertion Explicit exception validation Test invalid actions Catch specific errors Check all your test paths Use mutation testing Add failure assertion Explicit exception validation Test invalid actions Catch specific errors Check all your test paths Use mutation testing Context When writing tests you expect certain cases to throw exceptions. If you forget to add a fail condition when no exception is thrown, your test might pass silently. If breaking some contract doesn't raise an exception, the test will still pass without you noticing the issue. Always include a failure condition to ensure the test fails when the expected exception isn't thrown. Sample Code Wrong // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3");  
// First hit
            
try {
    game.fireAt("A3"); 
     // Firing at the same spot
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.', 
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3");  
// First hit
            
try {
    game.fireAt("A3"); 
     // Firing at the same spot
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.', 
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Right // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3"); 
// First hit

try {
    game.fireAt("A3");
     // Firing at the same spot
    
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
     cnsole.assert(false, 
        'An exception should have been thrown' .
        ' for firing at the same position.');
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
  
  
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.',
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3"); 
// First hit

try {
    game.fireAt("A3");
     // Firing at the same spot
    
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
     cnsole.assert(false, 
        'An exception should have been thrown' .
        ' for firing at the same position.');
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
  
  
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.',
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Detection [x]Semi-Automatic [x] Semi-Automatic [x] You can detect this smell by looking for try-catch blocks without a failure condition after an action that should throw an exception. try-catch Test cases expecting exceptions should always include assert(false) right after the invalid action. assert(false) Tags Testing Testing Level [x]Intermediate [x] Intermediate [x] AI Generation AI generators can create this smell because they often focus on handling exceptions but might miss adding failure conditions when the exception doesn't occur. This leads to the silent passing of faulty tests. AI Detection AI can detect this smell if you instruct it to check for missing failure assertions after expected exceptions. It can automatically add the missing condition to ensure tests fail properly when no exception is thrown. Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions ChatGPT

ChatGPT Claude

Claude Perplexity

Perplexity Copilot

Copilot Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions Without Proper Instructions Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions With Specific Instructions ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Conclusion You must include a fail condition when testing invalid actions like firing at the same position in Battleship. This ensures the test fails if no exception is thrown, preventing silent errors. Always validate the error message and ensure your tests catch valid and invalid behaviors. Related Reading https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxvii https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxvii Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion . opinion Credits: Photo by Nik on Unsplash Credits: Photo by Nik on Unsplash Nik Unsplash Time invested in writing tests and refactoring delivers impressive returns in delivery speed, and Continuous Integration is a core part of making that work in a team setting Time invested in writing tests and refactoring delivers impressive returns in delivery speed, and Continuous Integration is a core part of making that work in a team setting Martin Fowler Martin Fowler https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series on HackerNoon: How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code This article is part of the CodeSmell Series on HackerNoon: How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code

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