Marc Hoffmann on Code Test Coverage Analysis & Tools - SE Radio #324

Marc Hoffman, a key developer behind the free JaCoCo code-coverage library for Java, spoke with IEEE Software's Diomidis Spinellis about code test coverage and the tools that can analyze it.

Knowing the percentage of code that is covered by tests, can help developers assess the quality of their test cases and help them add missing tests and thereby find and remove software faults.

Marc is a key developer behind JaCoCo, a free code coverage library for Java. JaCoCo works directly on Java bytecode, without requiring access to the corresponding source code. It is integrated into mainstream IDEs and can be easily used as part of the software’s continuous integration process. A controversial issue associated with test coverage is the percentage of code that should be covered.

Here Marc offers valuable insight, recommending that code coverage metrics should be used to improve test quality during development and that developers should focus more on the quality of the test code rather than the amount of test coverage. Adding test cases after the code has been written, aiming to increase test coverage typically amounts to window dressing.