VSCode is my favorite IDE nowadays: simple, lightweight, and versatile. In this article, I'll show how we can configure some useful user snippets in VSCode to make our life easier. Table-driven tests snippet Since I read this , table-driven tests have become my favorite way to write tests in . Dave Cheney's article Golang Here's an example for calculating number: Fibonacci func TestRecursiveFibonacci(t *testing.T) { testCases := []struct { name string n uint want uint }{ { name: "zero", n: 0, want: 0, }, { name: "one", n: 1, want: 1, }, { name: "two", n: 2, want: 1, }, { name: "three", n: 3, want: 2, }, } for _, tc := range testCases { t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) { if got := RecursiveFibonacci(tc.n); got != tc.want { t.Errorf("got: %d, want: %d", got, tc.want) } }) } } This is the output: === RUN TestRecursiveFibonacci === RUN TestRecursiveFibonacci/zero === RUN TestRecursiveFibonacci/one === RUN TestRecursiveFibonacci/two === RUN TestRecursiveFibonacci/three --- PASS: TestRecursiveFibonacci (0.00s) --- PASS: TestRecursiveFibonacci/zero (0.00s) --- PASS: TestRecursiveFibonacci/one (0.00s) --- PASS: TestRecursiveFibonacci/two (0.00s) --- PASS: TestRecursiveFibonacci/three (0.00s) PASS ok bitbucket.org/tiagoharris/fibonacci/fibo 0.715s It can be a bit boring writing this test structure every time. That's where predefined user snippets come to help. Configuring a user code snippet in VSCode Open up VSCode. If you're using macOS, hit command + shift + p and start typing "snippet": After pressing ENTER, type "go" and select "go.json": Then, ENTER again and it will open "go.json": Here's where we'll define a snippet for generating the table-driven test basic structure: "Table driven test": { "prefix": "tabletest", "body": [ "func Test${1:YourFunc}(t *testing.T) {", "\ttestCases := []struct{", "\t\tname string", "\t}{", "\t\t{", "\t\t\tname: \"happy path\",", "\t\t},", "\t}", "\tfor _, tc := range testCases {", "\t\tt.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {", "\t\t})", "\t}", "}" ], "description": "Create basic structure for a table driven test" } : a descriptive name for our snippet; "Table driven test" : how can we invoke this snippet? In our case, every time we type "tabletest" in any golang file (*.go), the structure will be written into it; "prefix" : the snippet itself. I'm using '\t' for tabbing. If you want to enter a new line, just type in '\n'; "body" : here I'm using "${1:YourFunc}" so the cursor will be positioned around "YourFunc"; "func Test${1:YourFunc}(t *testing.T) {" : a friendly description of this snippet. "description" Invoking it When you start typing "table", VSCode will suggest our snippet. Press ENTER: Notice that the cursor is around "YourFunc", so you can type your test name immediately. Main function snippet Here's another snippet that I find useful: it defines a basic structure for a file with the main function: "Main Func": { "prefix": "mf", "body": [ "package main\n", "import (", "\t\"fmt\"", "\t\"os\"", ")\n", "func run() error {", "\treturn nil", "}\n", "func main() {", "\tif err := run(); err != nil {", "\t\tfmt.Println(err)", "\t\tos.Exit(1)", "\t}", "}", ], "description": "Create basic structure for a script with main function" } Invoking it Press "ENTER": Then a basic structure for a file with the main function will be written. Our final "go.json" is the following: { "Table driven test": { "prefix": "tabletest", "body": [ "func Test${1:YourFunc}(t *testing.T) {", "\ttestCases := []struct{", "\t\tname string", "\t}{", "\t\t{", "\t\t\tname: \"happy path\",", "\t\t},", "\t}", "\tfor _, tc := range testCases {", "\t\tt.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {", "\t\t})", "\t}", "}" ], "description": "Create basic structure for a table driven test" }, "Main Func": { "prefix": "mf", "body": [ "package main\n", "import (", "\t\"fmt\"", "\t\"os\"", ")\n", "func run() error {", "\treturn nil", "}\n", "func main() {", "\tif err := run(); err != nil {", "\t\tfmt.Println(err)", "\t\tos.Exit(1)", "\t}", "}", ], "description": "Create basic structure for a script with main function" } } Cool, isn't it?
