Re: [tag] Groups - TA Anatomy V0.5 (AnatomyTA-v05.doc) uploaded

[stephen.green@systml.co.uk]

Quoting Dave Pawson <dave.pawson@gmail.com>:


> If it doesn't fail, it may not pass.
> If it doesn't pass, it may not have failed.
>
> It should be a boolean. If it hasn't passed it has failed.
> If it has passed all the tests, it has passed.
> Period.
>

But I think we have to accept it that you *can't assume* the
converse - that if it hasn't failed any of the tests it has
passed. The tests may all have been negative tests designed
to find faults but it is quite likely that not failing any
of them will still not mean a pass as such. It will just mean
that no failure has been detected. So I think the logic of
having a third state, even for test assertions rather than
test cases, has to stand. That way there can be negative
testing throughout the TAs (or a section of the TAs) for
which the overall outcome is either fail or inconclusive.
I agree it might cause some laughter but it seems to be a
corollary of the likelihood of incomplete coverage or
deliberate test assertion strategy.

Steve