Systematic Testing Skill

Purpose

Guide test-driven development (TDD), generate comprehensive test suites, and provide systematic debugging frameworks. Ensures code is well-tested and bugs are resolved methodically rather than through trial-and-error.

Activation Triggers

Activate this skill when:

• User implements new functionality (auto-suggest tests)
• Tests fail (activate debugging framework)
• User says "write tests for this"
• User mentions "TDD" or "test-driven"
• User asks about debugging or troubleshooting
• User says "this bug..." or "error..."
• Before marking feature complete (verify test coverage)

Core Capabilities

1. Test-Driven Development (TDD)

For complete TDD workflow, use Skill tool to invoke: dev-workflow:test-driven-development

How to activate:

Use Skill tool: Skill(skill: "dev-workflow:test-driven-development")

The test-driven-development skill provides:

• Full RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle explanation
• Strict TDD enforcement and discipline
• Anti-patterns and rationalizations to avoid
• Detailed examples and verification checklist

Quick TDD Summary:

1. RED: Write failing test first
2. GREEN: Write minimal code to pass
3. REFACTOR: Clean up while tests stay green

This skill focuses on test generation strategies and systematic debugging. For TDD methodology details, use the dedicated skill.

---

2. Test Generation

Goal: Generate comprehensive test suites covering all scenarios

Test Categories

Normal Cases (Happy Path)

Test expected, typical usage:

describe('calculatePositionSize', () => {
  it('should calculate correct position size for valid inputs', () => {
    const result = calculatePositionSize(
      10000,  // account balance
      0.02,   // 2% risk
      150.50, // entry price
      148.00  // stop loss
    );

    expect(result).toBe(80); // $200 risk / $2.50 per share
  });

  it('should handle large account balances', () => {
    const result = calculatePositionSize(
      1000000, // $1M account
      0.01,    // 1% risk
      100,
      99
    );

    expect(result).toBe(10000);
  });
});

Edge Cases (Boundary Conditions)

Test limits and boundaries:

describe('calculatePositionSize - edge cases', () => {
  it('should handle very small risk percentage', () => {
    const result = calculatePositionSize(
      10000,
      0.001, // 0.1% risk
      100,
      99
    );

    expect(result).toBe(10); // $10 risk / $1 per share
  });

  it('should handle entry price equal to stop loss', () => {
    expect(() => {
      calculatePositionSize(10000, 0.02, 100, 100);
    }).toThrow('Entry price cannot equal stop loss');
  });

  it('should handle very small price differences', () => {
    const result = calculatePositionSize(
      10000,
      0.02,
      100.10,
      100.00
    );

    expect(result).toBe(2000); // $200 / $0.10
  });

  it('should round down fractional shares', () => {
    const result = calculatePositionSize(
      10000,
      0.02,
      150.75, // Creates fractional result
      148.00
    );

    // Should be whole number, not fractional
    expect(Number.isInteger(result)).toBe(true);
  });
});

Error Cases (Invalid Inputs)

Test error handling:

describe('calculatePositionSize - error cases', () => {
  it('should reject negative account balance', () => {
    expect(() => {
      calculatePositionSize(-10000, 0.02, 100, 99);
    }).toThrow('Account balance must be positive');
  });

  it('should reject zero account balance', () => {
    expect(() => {
      calculatePositionSize(0, 0.02, 100, 99);
    }).toThrow('Account balance must be positive');
  });

  it('should reject risk percentage over 100%', () => {
    expect(() => {
      calculatePositionSize(10000, 1.5, 100, 99);
    }).toThrow('Risk percentage must be between 0 and 1');
  });

  it('should reject negative risk percentage', () => {
    expect(() => {
      calculatePositionSize(10000, -0.02, 100, 99);
    }).toThrow('Risk percentage must be between 0 and 1');
  });

  it('should handle null inputs gracefully', () => {
    expect(() => {
      calculatePositionSize(null, 0.02, 100, 99);
    }).toThrow();
  });

  it('should handle undefined inputs gracefully', () => {
    expect(() => {
      calculatePositionSize(undefined, 0.02, 100, 99);
    }).toThrow();
  });
});

Integration Cases

Test component interactions:

describe('login flow - integration', () => {
  it('should complete full authentication flow', async () => {
    // Test entire flow from request to response
    const response = await request(app)
      .post('/api/auth/login')
      .send({
        email: 'user@example.com',
        password: 'SecureP@ss123'
      });

    // Verify response
    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
    expect(response.body.data.accessToken).toBeTruthy();

    // Verify token is valid
    const decoded = jwt.verify(
      response.body.data.accessToken,
      process.env.JWT_SECRET
    );
    expect(decoded.id).toBeTruthy();

    // Verify user can access protected route
    const protectedResponse = await request(app)
      .get('/api/user/profile')
      .set('Authorization', `Bearer ${response.body.data.accessToken}`);

    expect(protectedResponse.status).toBe(200);
  });

  it('should prevent access with expired token', async () => {
    // Create expired token
    const expiredToken = jwt.sign(
      { id: 'user-id' },
      process.env.JWT_SECRET,
      { expiresIn: '-1h' } // Already expired
    );

    // Attempt to access protected route
    const response = await request(app)
      .get('/api/user/profile')
      .set('Authorization', `Bearer ${expiredToken}`);

    expect(response.status).toBe(401);
    expect(response.body.error.code).toBe('TOKEN_EXPIRED');
  });
});

Test Generation Template

describe('[Component/Function Name]', () => {
  // Setup and teardown
  beforeEach(() => {
    // Reset state, create test data
  });

  afterEach(() => {
    // Clean up, reset mocks
  });

  // NORMAL CASES
  describe('normal operation', () => {
    it('should [expected behavior for typical input]', () => {
      // Test implementation
    });
  });

  // EDGE CASES
  describe('edge cases', () => {
    it('should handle [boundary condition]', () => {
      // Test implementation
    });
  });

  // ERROR CASES
  describe('error handling', () => {
    it('should reject [invalid input]', () => {
      expect(() => {
        // Call with invalid input
      }).toThrow('Expected error message');
    });
  });

  // INTEGRATION
  describe('integration', () => {
    it('should work with [other component]', () => {
      // Test interaction
    });
  });
});

---

3. Systematic Debugging Framework

Goal: Resolve bugs methodically, not through random trial-and-error

Four-Phase Framework:

Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation

Goal: Understand exactly what's going wrong

Process:

1. Reproduce Bug Consistently

   Steps to reproduce:
   1. Navigate to login page
   2. Enter email: user@example.com
   3. Enter password: TestPass123
   4. Click submit
   5. Observe: Error message "Network request failed"
   
   Reproducibility: 10/10 attempts failed
   

2. Identify Symptoms

   • What's the visible error?
   • What error messages appear?
   • What's the expected vs actual behavior?

3. Gather Evidence

   # Check logs
   tail -f logs/app.log
   
   # Check network requests (browser dev tools)
   # Check console errors
   # Check server logs
   

   Collect:

   • Error messages (full text)
   • Stack traces
   • Log entries
   • Network requests/responses
   • Input values that trigger bug

4. Form Initial Hypothesis

   Hypothesis: API endpoint is returning 500 error instead of 400
   
   Evidence:
   - Console shows "Network request failed"
   - Server logs show 500 error at time of attempt
   - Database logs show constraint violation
   
   Next step: Check what's causing the 500
   

Phase 2: Pattern Analysis

Goal: Identify when bug occurs and when it doesn't

Questions to Answer:

1. When Does It Fail?

   • Specific inputs?
   • Certain users?
   • Particular time of day?
   • After specific sequence of actions?

2. When Does It Work?

   • Any inputs that succeed?
   • Any users unaffected?
   • Worked before, broken now?

3. What Changed Recently?

   # Check recent commits
   git log --since="2 days ago" --oneline
   
   # Check what changed in specific file
   git log -p path/to/file.js
   
   # See when bug was introduced
   git bisect
   

4. Environmental Factors?

   • Works locally, fails in production?
   • Browser-specific?
   • Network conditions?
   • Load-related (works with 1 user, fails with 100)?

Pattern Analysis Example:

Bug Pattern Analysis:

FAILS when:
- Email contains + symbol (e.g., user+test@example.com)
- Password is exactly 8 characters
- User account was created after 2025-01-01

WORKS when:
- Email is standard format (user@example.com)
- Password is 9+ characters
- User account is older

Pattern identified: Email validation regex doesn't handle + symbol

Phase 3: Hypothesis Testing

Goal: Test theories systematically until root cause found

Process:

1. Create Minimal Test Case

   // Isolate the bug
   it('should accept email with plus symbol', () => {
     const email = 'user+test@example.com';
     const result = validateEmail(email);
     expect(result).toBe(true); // Currently fails
   });
   

2. Add Instrumentation

   function validateEmail(email) {
     console.log('Input email:', email);
   
     const regex = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/;
     const isValid = regex.test(email);
   
     console.log('Regex test result:', isValid);
     console.log('Regex used:', regex);
   
     return isValid;
   }
   

3. Test Hypothesis

   // Hypothesis: Regex doesn't handle + symbol
   
   // Test with minimal input
   validateEmail('user+test@example.com');
   // Output:
   // Input email: user+test@example.com
   // Regex test result: true
   //
   // Hypothesis REJECTED: Regex accepts + symbol
   
   // Form new hypothesis: Something else is rejecting it
   
   // Check database constraint
   // Found: Database column has CHECK constraint excluding +
   // Hypothesis CONFIRMED!
   

4. Iterate Until Root Cause Found Keep forming and testing hypotheses until you identify exact cause.

Phase 4: Implementation

Goal: Fix bug permanently with regression protection

Process:

1. Write Test Reproducing Bug

   // This test should FAIL before fix
   it('should accept email with plus symbol', async () => {
     const email = 'user+test@example.com';
     const password = 'SecureP@ss123';
   
     const response = await request(app)
       .post('/api/auth/register')
       .send({ email, password });
   
     expect(response.status).toBe(201);
     expect(response.body.user.email).toBe(email);
   });
   

   Run test - verify it fails:

   npm test
   # ✗ should accept email with plus symbol
   #   Expected: 201, Received: 400
   

2. Fix the Bug

   -- Remove overly restrictive database constraint
   ALTER TABLE users DROP CONSTRAINT email_format_check;
   
   -- Or update to correct constraint
   ALTER TABLE users ADD CONSTRAINT email_format_check
     CHECK (email ~* '^[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z|a-z]{2,}$');
   

3. Verify Test Passes

   npm test
   # ✓ should accept email with plus symbol
   

4. Add Regression Tests

   // Add more tests for similar edge cases
   describe('email validation - special characters', () => {
     const validEmails = [
       'user+test@example.com',
       'user.name@example.com',
       'user_name@example.com',
       'user-name@example.com',
       'user123@example.com'
     ];
   
     validEmails.forEach(email => {
       it(`should accept ${email}`, async () => {
         const response = await request(app)
           .post('/api/auth/register')
           .send({ email, password: 'SecureP@ss123' });
   
         expect(response.status).toBe(201);
       });
     });
   });
   

5. Document Root Cause

   /*
    * Bug Fix: Email validation now accepts RFC-compliant characters
    *
    * Root Cause:
    * Database CHECK constraint was too restrictive, excluding the + symbol
    * which is valid in email addresses per RFC 5322.
    *
    * Fix:
    * Updated CHECK constraint to use proper regex pattern matching RFC 5322.
    *
    * Date: 2025-01-17
    * Related Issue: #234
    */
   

6. Commit Fix with Context

   git add migrations/003_fix_email_constraint.sql
   git add tests/auth/register.test.js
   git commit -m "fix: Accept + symbol in email addresses
   
   Database CHECK constraint was rejecting valid emails containing
   the + symbol. Updated constraint to match RFC 5322 standard.
   
   Closes #234"
   

---

Test Coverage Analysis

Goal: Identify untested code

Check Coverage:

# Generate coverage report
npm run test:coverage

# Typical output:
# File           | % Stmts | % Branch | % Funcs | % Lines |
# ---------------|---------|----------|---------|---------|
# src/auth.js    |   87.5  |    75.0  |  100.0  |   87.5  |
# src/orders.js  |   45.2  |    33.3  |   60.0  |   45.2  |

Identify Gaps:

• Functions without any tests
• Branches not covered (if statements, error paths)
• Edge cases not tested
• Integration paths missing

Prioritize:

1. Critical business logic (highest priority)
2. Security-sensitive code
3. Complex algorithms
4. Error handling paths
5. Edge cases

Best Practices

TDD Best Practices

1. Always write test first: No exceptions
2. One test at a time: Don't write multiple tests before implementing
3. Smallest possible step: Each cycle should be quick (5-10 minutes)
4. Test behavior, not implementation: Don't test private methods
5. Keep tests simple: Tests should be easier to understand than code

Test Quality

1. Clear test names: Should read like documentation
2. Arrange-Act-Assert: Structure tests consistently
3. One assertion per test: Makes failures clear
4. No logic in tests: Tests should be simple data
5. Independent tests: No test depends on another

Debugging Best Practices

1. Reproduce first: Can't fix what you can't reproduce
2. Understand before fixing: Don't guess and check
3. Fix root cause: Don't just treat symptoms
4. Add regression test: Prevent bug from returning
5. Document why: Help future debuggers

Integration with Superpowers

If superpowers:test-driven-development available:

• Use for guided TDD workflow
• Enhanced RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle
• Additional TDD best practices

If superpowers:systematic-debugging available:

• Use for complex debugging scenarios
• Root cause tracing framework
• Advanced instrumentation guidance

Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Writing tests after implementation ❌ Changing tests to match implementation ❌ Testing implementation details instead of behavior ❌ Skipping refactor phase ❌ Testing code that's already tested (overwriting working tests) ❌ Making multiple changes before testing ❌ Debugging by randomly changing code ❌ Committing "console.log" debugging code

Notes

• TDD is slower initially but faster overall (fewer bugs, less debugging)
• Good tests are documentation that never gets outdated
• Debugging is detective work, not guessing
• Always add regression tests after fixing bugs
• Test coverage is a minimum bar, not a goal