Interaction Tests, Mocks & Refactoring in Embedded Software
What you'll learn
- Develop an entire embedded project in C using Test Driven Development
- Interaction-based testing with stubbing and mocking
- Wield the open source tools CMock and Ceedling like an expert
- Refactoring working code with testing support
- Strategies and techniques for Unit Testing tricky code
- Strategies for prioritizing and planning an embedded project
Requirements
- A basic proficiency in C programming.
- Some experience with Embedded or Systems Programming. If you’ve ever dealt with a register or bit mask, you’re our kind of people!
- Experience with basic unit testing, particularly in C using Unity. If that’s not you, yet, try our first course: ‘Unit Testing & Other Embedded Software Catalysts’.
- There are tools required, but they’re all free. We’ve packaged them for easy installation, and we’ll guide you through their set up.
Description
Welcome (Back) to Dr. Surly’s School for Mad Scientists!
Unit Testing and Test Driven Development help smart, capable developers like you create robust, reliable, and maintainable software that lets you sleep soundly at night. In this course you will apply these concepts to embedded code and system software in C.
This material builds on the foundation of our first course, Unit Testing & Other Embedded Software Catalysts. If you’ve taken our first course or you’re already familiar with TDD and xUnit frameworks, this course is a great next step.
Dr. Surly’s School for Mad Scientists
When you’re trying to take over the world you learn two things quite quickly. First, you end up building lots of technology like death rays and such that requires high quality firmware. Second, minions, climate-altering satellites, and lairs are expensive. While Dr. Surly’s lab has become quite proficient at software design and testing, supplemental revenue to fund all manner of villainy is a necessary evil. It’s all part of the standard world domination business model, and you get to benefit.
In This Course You Will:
Learn interaction-based testing with stubbing and mocking in a real-world project.
Use new tools! CMock & Ceedling complement the C testing tool Unity.
Iteratively refactor already working code with the support of your test suite.
See techniques and patterns for unit testing tricky code.
Try strategies for prioritizing and planning an embedded project.
Encounter big idea philosophies for process, design, and testing.
Connect with a supportive community.
Learn by Doing—Build a Real-World Project from Start to Finish
The end result of this course is an actual, functional application that can run on real hardware. No simplistic exercises or toy examples. The hardware isn’t necessary for this course, but if you do have the hardware, it will serve as final proof that your code works. And, the final deliverable might just be handy for other projects too.
The project is the mechanism for learning in this course. We’ll grow the project from requirements using a structured, iterative process much as you would in a real project. We teach development, testing, design, and process skills as we build this project, showing where they are applicable in real life.
You will learn key concepts first from us demonstrating the skills by example, then through guided use, and finally as homework assignments that allow you to practice the skill on your own as you implement your project.
This Course Includes:
0x01 (1) Large project from requirements to finished product
0x19 (25) Code-centered lectures
0x0D (13) Code-exercises contributing to the main project
0x1F (31) Helpful resource-packed supplemental primers, guides, and how-to’s
0x195 (405) Minutes of thorough video lectures
Links, quizzes, helpful hints, and more
Have questions? Please write us at… tdd@throwtheswitch.org
Join us in our mission to take over the world (with quality embedded software)!
Who this course is for:
- This course is for C developers seeking to learn Unit Testing and Test Driven Development.
- If you are new to the C language generally or programming for hardware specifically, this course may be too advanced for you.
Course content
- Preview02:58
- 03:18How This Course Works
- 10:44Preparing for World Domination
- 04:16A Little Help From Our Friends—Setting Up Your Development Environment
- 03:02Log All The Bits
- 00:46Preparing for the Meeting
- Preview09:01
- 01:12Iteration 0—Getting Ready to Start
Instructors
![Mark VanderVoord](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 359 Reviews
- 936 Students
- 2 Courses
Hi. I'm Mark. I've been developing awesome things with embedded software for 20 years and I help other people do the same. I've worked on self-guided lawnmowers, automotive electronics, color measurement devices, bluetooth beacons, and much more. I'm one of the creators of the open source tools Unity and CMock, which help people test C code. I'm one of the founders of Throw The Switch, an online community dedicated to making embedded software better.
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 359 Reviews
- 936 Students
- 2 Courses
Hi. I’m Mike. I’ve been working on crazy software projects for a couple decades—everything from weather balloons to smart rear view mirrors to EEG-based versions of Pong to gesture-based security systems. I’m one of the creators of the open source tools Unity, CMock, and Ceedling that help people unit test C code. I’m also one of the founders of Throw The Switch, an online community dedicated to making embedded software better.
I’ve trained and coached lots of people in good software development and software testing techniques. This has included a variety of teams, conference attendees, a Tier 1 auto supplier, and even an intelligence agency of the U.S. Government.
I lost my mind and did a doctorate in Computer Science with a speciality in Human Computer Interaction. Before that my education was Electrical Engineering and, well, other Computer Science. A theme throughout my education and work is building systems that work for people and helping people build systems that work.