Secrets of Great Conference Talks - Practical Public Speaking Advice @TestDouble

Test Double Justin Searls has been giving presentations at conferences and meetups for over a decade, and he's designed an approach that's guaranteed to keep people's attention and leave a meaningful impact on audiences. Here are his top ten tips for everything from having your talk submission accepted in a CFP to designing a slide deck to dealing with the nervousness you might feel about getting on stage.

You can see a few of Justin's past talks on YouTube:

* How to Program youtube.com/watch?v=rm8RYzrVkFA
* How to Stop Hating Your Tests youtube.com/watch?v=jmPcVTHmdVo
* The Selfish Programmer youtube.com/watch?v=XvQxfMBp50k
* The Social Coding Contract youtube.com/watch?v=HFRU6eQKp4Y

Read more here: http://blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-12-12-how-to-start-speaking-at-conferences

updated 10 months ago

Secrets of Great Conference Talks - Practical Public Speaking Advice

Test Double 2023-12-12 | Justin Searls has been giving presentations at conferences and meetups for over a decade, and he's designed an approach that's guaranteed to keep people's attention and leave a meaningful impact on audiences. Here are his top ten tips for everything from having your talk submission accepted in a CFP to designing a slide deck to dealing with the nervousness you might feel about getting on stage.

You can see a few of Justin's past talks on YouTube:

* How to Program youtube.com/watch?v=rm8RYzrVkFA
* How to Stop Hating Your Tests youtube.com/watch?v=jmPcVTHmdVo
* The Selfish Programmer youtube.com/watch?v=XvQxfMBp50k
* The Social Coding Contract youtube.com/watch?v=HFRU6eQKp4Y

Read more here: http://blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-12-12-how-to-start-speaking-at-conferences

Software consultancy driven by purpose, not profit

Test Double 2024-06-14 | Test Double is a software consultancy driven by purpose, not profit. Our co-founders had a mission to improve how the world builds software. An intentional focus on sustainable growth and culture means we're now in our second decade of solving hard software problems.

We used to feel like we were different, and now we know we're certifiably different: Test Double is certified Evergreen by the Tugboat Institute.

Find out more about the seven principles of Certified Evergreen companies:
00:00 The humble evergreen
00:47 Evergreen businesses
01:17 Purpose
01:37 Perseverance
02:02 People First
02:24 Private
02:48 Profit
03:07 Paced Growth
03:25 Pragmatic Innovation
04:09 Test Double is certifiably different

Were hiring a creative, get stuff done Senior Content Manager

Test Double 2023-07-31 | Are you a stand out content marketer?

We're seeking a marketer who is skilled in:
- 💫 creative copywriting
- 🔎 empathetic editing
- 💻 pragmatic promotion

You might be a good fit as Senior Content Manager at Test Double if ...
1. You seamlessly shift from SEO to editing video to social copy—and you're driven to navigate how content evolves.
2. You coach people to improve their content through editing—and you help them sharpen what they have to say.
3. You apply a growth mindset to promoting content—and you seek out content marketing tools for low-friction results.

More info about working at Test Double: link.testdouble.com/sr-content-mgr-info
Apply: link.testdouble.com/sr-content-manager-job-post

Forecasting the Future: Intro to Machine Learning in Ruby (RailsConf 2023)

Test Double 2023-07-24 | Inspired by a desire to understand why more engineers weren't using Ruby for their machine learning (ML) projects, I embarked on a journey to determine if I could build a project to do something non-trivial using ML in Ruby. Once again, it turns out that you can indeed use Ruby to do amazing things! By leveraging various libraries, building machine learning models becomes a breeze.

There is a large array of tools, libraries, and resources available that help facilitate the construction of ML models for Rubyists, and the list keeps growing. Now has never been a better time to dive into machine learning and build interesting projects. It is clear that AI has dramatically shaped the software industry. As such, it makes sense that Rubyists will also partake in these rapidly evolving technologies and create tools and applications never before thought possible!

More info and resources on the Test Double blog at blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-07-24-forecasting-the-future

Zero downtime Rails upgrades (RailsConf 2023)

Test Double 2023-07-23 | No one likes working on Rails upgrades, and who can blame them? They can be thankless, time-consuming, and—worst of all—unpredictable. How long will they take? When can we get back to feature work? What’ll break when they’re deployed? It’s tempting to say, “Let’s do it later,” but later is usually never. Instead of living in fear of the big, scary Rails upgrade, your team can set up systems for incremental change that let you:

- continue feature work
- deliver predictable results
- seamlessly jump into the next upgrade (because there’s always a next upgrade)

And Ali is gonna show you how.

In the years since he's worked on upgrading Rails at GitHub, Ali refined an approach to Rails upgrades and successfully implemented it at several organizations. In this talk, you’ll learn everything you need to burn down uncertainty and boldly go into your next Rails upgrade.

More on the Test Double blog, including resources, at blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-07-23-zero-downtime-rails-upgrades

The end of legacy code (RailsConf 2023)

Test Double 2023-07-19 | What if you could change your relationship with legacy code, and shed the weight the name brings with it? What if legacy code disappeared? In this RailsConf 2023 talk Daniel Huss shares how.

If we try to approach legacy code with a fresh perspective, we can find opportunities to smooth out the rough edges and make it easier for other devs, and our future selves to work with.

If we don't, we risk pushing ourselves and the team we're on into a salty mindset, and towards burnout.

By eternally onboarding to a legacy system, we can help take pressure off our code so it's not responsible for things code is bad at doing.

More on the Test Double blog at blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-07-19-end-of-legacy-code

Lets Standardize Rails (RailsConf 2023)

Test Double 2023-05-31 | At RailsConf 2023, we conducted an experiment: could attendees do the hard work for us by voting on RuboCop rules so we could publish the Standard Rails plugin?

In this talk, @JustinSearls & Meagan Waller worked with the audience to lay the groundwork for Standard Ruby’s first plugin: standard-rails. Together, we crowdsourced some of the thorniest questions once and for all, saving your (and every other) Rails team the time of having to do it all over again. Try it yourself at github.com/standardrb/standard-rails

More on the Test Double blog at blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-05-30-lets-standardize-rails

RubyKaigi 2023 - Interviewed Kokubun Just-In-Time

Test Double 2023-05-13 | That's it—RubyKaigi 2023 is a wrap! I sat down with Kokubun-san to discuss his talk on RJIT, things he enjoyed about the conference, and why we should look forward to traveling to RubyKaigi in Okinawa next year.

I hope you'll come! For more of our coverage on RubyKaigi, check out our Field Report blog.testdouble.com/field-reports/ruby-kaigi

RubyKaigi 2023 - Meet the Organizer, Akira Matsuda

Test Double 2023-05-12 | If you've never met him, Akira is a great person to know! He is the lead organizer for both RubyKaigi (@rubykaigi4884) and Asakusa.rb, the premier Ruby weekly(!) meetup in Tokyo.

Over the past six years he's transformed Kaigi into a traveling conference that has introduced countless domestic and international Rubyists to new cities in Japan like Kyoto, Fukuoka, and now Matsumoto. While I couldn't get him to divulge the location of next year's conference (we'll have to wait for tomorrow), if you've ever been interested in coming to the conference, I hope you'll consider watching to understand his goals and priorities in the design of each event!

You can follow our ongoing RubyKaigi 2023 coverage at @TestDouble's blog here: blog.testdouble.com/field-reports/ruby-kaigi

Ruby Kaigi 2023 - Aaron Patterson Interview

Test Double 2023-05-11 | It's the first day of RubyKaigi 2023 in Matsumoto Japan! Before Matz kicked off his keynote, Aaron Patterson (@tenderlove) and I sat down to discuss the conference, his experience at Keyboard Kaigi, what he's looking forward to at the conference. We also went into detail about the next generation of Ruby parsers, the challenges Ractor has faced since its debut, and why UTF-8 is such a sociopolitical issue in East Asian countries that need multiple bytes to encode their languages' characters.

This interview was part of @TestDouble's Field Report for the event. Check it out here: blog.testdouble.com/field-reports/ruby-kaigi

Standard Ruby Update Live Stream

Test Double 2023-04-19 | Test Double's Camilo Payan and Daniel Huss share the latest rule changes adopted by Standard Ruby in our monthly update for April 2023.

About Standard Ruby: github.com/testdouble/standard
About Test Double: testdouble.com/agency

How to tell if AI threatens your job

Test Double 2023-03-20 | Read all about it: blog.testdouble.com/posts/2023-03-14-how-to-tell-if-ai-threatens-your-job

#shorts

Standard Ruby Update Live Stream

Test Double 2023-03-15 | Test Double's Camilo Payan and Josh Justice share with the community the latest rule changes adopted by Standard Ruby in our monthly update for March 2023.

About Standard Ruby: github.com/testdouble/standard
About Test Double: testdouble.com/agency

Test Double Live Stream

Test Double 2023-03-10 | ...

What is a Meta Programmer?

Test Double 2023-02-28 | What does it mean for a founder to go back to being an individual contributor at
their own company? @JustinSearls is about to find out!

Read about it at blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-02-28-what-is-a-meta-programmer

Sustainable Learning

Test Double 2023-01-30 | How do you keep your software development knowledge up-to-date as new languages, libraries, and platforms are released? The amount of information out there can be overwhelming. In this talk, Josh Justice shares an approach to learning that can help you avoid mistakes that may be hindering your learning, make the flow of information manageable, solidify your skills, and feel motivated all along the way.

[01:48] Cyclical Learning Overview
[02:19] 1. Observe
[04:18] 2. Capture
[09:33] 3. Focus
[12:18] 4. Understand
[13:40] 5. Practice
[15:17] 6. Reflect
[17:01] 7. Record
[20:08] 8. Share
[21:37] Review and putting it into practice

This screencast is also available on the Test Double blog at blog.testdouble.com/talks/2023-02-01-sustainable-learning

Resources:
- Making Badass Developers by Kathy Sierra - youtu.be/FKTxC9pl-WM
- Perceptual Learning == More Ruby Experts? by Stefanni Brasil - youtu.be/m_MtR3p3hJ4
- Optimize for Learning - bignerdranch.com/blog/becoming-a-nerd-one-developers-journey
- Notion - https://www.notion.so
- Obsidian - https://obsidian.md
- Logseq - logseq.com
- Pocket - getpocket.com
- Paint Drip Developer by Bob Marshall - flowchainsensei.wordpress.com/2021/07/28/kent-becks-paint-drip-people
- Exercism - exercism.org
- GitHub Wikis - docs.github.com/en/communities/documenting-your-project-with-wikis/about-wikis

Get to a better place with software built to last

Test Double 2023-01-05 | Ever feel like software is broken, and there must be a better way? Test Double helps technology leaders get to a better place with software built to last.

Legacy systems are unwound and detangled. Teams emerge happier and healthier. Leaders get maintainable software at a sustainable pace.

We embed with teams who care about great code. Is that you?

More about what we do at link.testdouble.com/get-to-a-better-place

Do More with Less?

Test Double 2023-01-05 | In a world where budgets shrink, but scope doesn't ... people start saying "work smarter." What does that even mean?

Burst capacity to hit today's deadlines, strategies to make tomorrow's goals attainable. We get your team unblocked, accelerate software delivery, and improve things along the way.

We embed with teams who care about great code. Is that you?

More about what we do at link.testdouble.com/do-more-with-less-work-smarter

Building a Linkblog with Hugo, Tailwind, and NetlifyCMS

Test Double 2022-11-23 | With Twitter on shaky ground, there's a sudden interest in open social platforms and protocols as well as a return to hosting traditional web sites and blogs. But because we've become accustomed to low-friction publishing workflows (type a bit in a box, click Tweet), routinely writing real blog posts can feel daunting.

This video provides a brief overview of one way to organize a personal blog that's structurally similar to daringfireball.net—allowing for short-and-sweet posts—but with modern architecture of Hugo for static site generation, Tailwind for styling, and Netlify (plus NetlifyCMS) for hosting and on-the-go publishing—enabling very low-friction publishing.

* Hugo - gohugo.io
* Tailwind - tailwindcss.com
* Netlify - netlify.com
* NetlifyCMS - netlifycms.org
* Justin's CSS overrides to make NetlifyCMS more mobile-friendly -gist.github.com/searls/7fd2c3223571a58a81006e7da66bd064

A Better Way to Sort Ruby Objects

Test Double 2022-09-28 | Ruby offers a super convenient method for sorting complex objects in Enumerable#sort_by. But when sorting by multiple conditions or dealing with potential nil values, things get messy in a hurry.

This video shows off a common (but little-discussed) technique for building `sort_by` blocks that return prioritized arrays of values and then demonstrates how our new Put gem can accomplish the same thing with a cleaner and more expressive API that provides nil safety.

Check out the Put gem for yourself: github.com/testdouble/put

This video's example code lives here: github.com/testdouble/put_example

Read more about Put at our blog: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2022-09-28-a-better-way-to-sort-ruby-objects

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction

02:10 – Using Enumerable#sort_by with multiple conditions

12:10 – How to use the Put gem

How to Debug Rails 7 with VS Code

Test Double 2022-08-23 | If you use Visual Studio Code to write Ruby on Rails, you should absolutely be using Kocihi's vscode-rdbg extension for the new-and-improved Debug gem that shipped with Ruby 3.1

• Ruby 3.1 announcement: ruby-lang.org/en/news/2021/12/25/ruby-3-1-0-released
• The vscode-rdbg extension: marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=KoichiSasada.vscode-rdbg
• Rails 7 announcement: rubyonrails.org/2021/12/15/Rails-7-fulfilling-a-vision

See more at our blog here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2022-08-22-debugging-ruby-on-rails-with-vscode

Please mock me

Test Double 2022-05-19 | This lightning talk was presented at RailsConf 2022 as a fast paced (but gentle!) introduction to Mocktail, a new mocking library for Ruby. (github.com/testdouble/mocktail)

More info here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2022-05-18-please-mock-me

If you’re looking for another talk on this topic, consider watching the companion talk, Please don’t mock me: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2018-03-06-please-dont-mock-me It’s a much longer talk, and so it takes the time needed to discuss some of the patterns and pitfalls to keep in mind when using test doubles in your tests.

End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 08 DRY Test Setup

Test Double 2022-04-27 | In this video, learn how duplicated test setup steps can make Cypress end-to-end test suites unmaintainable. Discover how to use helper functions like `beforeEach` and how to configure Cypress with the cypress.json file in order to simplify and reduce repeated test setup.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:09 Recap of previous video
00:21 Learning goals for this video
00:36 Reminder instructions for running demo app and Cypress test suite
00:48 Identifying duplicate `cy.visit` calls in each end-to-end test
01:17 Make `cy.visit` automatically run before each test with `beforeEach`
01:55 Cypress ensures `cy.visit` completes before running each test
02:02 Remove previously duplicated `cy.visit` calls and save
02:07 Verify end-to-end tests still visit initial page and run successfully
02:15 Expand Cypress command log to see the`visit` command inside BEFORE EACH
02:32 Duplicating hardcoded URLs can make Cypress test suites unmaintainable
02:55 Configuring Cypress to know the base URL for all visited URL paths
03:05 Explaining the cypress.json file for configuring Cypress test suites
03:24 Add the `baseUrl` to cypress.json
03:45 Save file to see Cypress reload the spec file list
04:01 Replace URL in end-to-end spec file with root path / and save
04:12 Open up spec file again from Cypress list of spec files
04:17 Verify end-to-end tests run successfully
04:35 Link to other configuration options available in cypress.json
04:43 Recapping what you learned
04:59 Summary of different ways duplication affects Cypress test suites
05:17 Conclusion and next module teaser

Additional resources:
Configuring Cypress: docs.cypress.io/guides/references/configuration

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 07 DRY for Speed

Test Double 2022-04-22 | In this video, learn how creating similar Cypress tests can slow down your end-to-end test suite. Find out how to measure the runtime of your end-to-end test suite, consolidate similar Cypress tests to speed up your test suite, and learn the tradeoffs between combining end-to-end tests and keeping them separate.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:09 Recap of previous video
00:19 Learning goals for this video
00:39 Reminder instructions for running demo app and Cypress test suite
00:51 Identifying another user scenario for a happy path end-to-end test
01:22 Copy and paste a previous end-to-end test for the new test
01:30 Use `it.only` to temporarily only run the new test
01:37 Modify pasted Cypress test for the new user scenario under test
02:16 Save file to verify new happy path test runs successfully
02:29 Reminder that end-to-end tests are slow
02:43 Use `it.only` to additionally run the previous “update task” test
02:59 Analyzing Cypress end-to-end test suite runtime
03:23 How slow end-to-end tests impact developer productivity and builds
03:39 How to balance testing all user scenarios with the quantity of end-to-end tests
03:50 Identifying duplicated paths in similar end-to-end tests
04:26 Create a combined end-to-end test
05:08 Save file to verify combined happy path Cypress test runs successfully
05:18 Why combined happy path tests help speed up end-to-end test suites
05:37 Remove previous similar end-to-end tests and remove `it.only`
05:44 Recapping what you learned
06:15 Conclusion and next video teaser

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 06 DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself)

Test Double 2022-03-24 | In this video, learn about the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle and how it can affect end-to-end tests. After watching this video, you will be able to create reusable helpers for data setup in your own Cypress end-to-end tests.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:09 Recap of previous video
00:20 Learning goals for this video
00:31 What is the DRY principle (Don’t Repeat Yourself)
00:46 Problems with updating duplicated code in multiple places
00:58 Using code abstractions to reduce the amount of duplication
01:09 How does code duplication lead to issues in end-to-end tests
01:28 Reminder instructions for running demo app and Cypress test suite
01:40 How to identify the duplicated code in the current Cypress end-to-end tests
01:55 How to create a reusable helper function for end-to-end test setup code
02:09 How to replace duplicated test setup with the reusable helper function
02:17 Save file to verify Cypress end-to-end tests still pass
02:29 Recapping what you learned
02:46 Conclusion and next video teaser

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 05 Isolate Test State

Test Double 2022-03-24 | In this video, learn how to isolate test state by adding another real-world, happy path end-to-end test with Cypress to the demo application. After watching this video, you will be able to prevent sharing persisted end-to-end test state and manage setup code for your own happy path tests.

You will also:
- learn the dangers of saving persisted state between different tests
- run specific tests with `it.only`
- clear text inputs with the Cypress `clear` command
- write explicit assertions with the Cypress `should` command

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:09 Recap of previous video
00:25 Learning goals for this video
00:49 Reminder instructions for running demo app and Cypress test suite
01:00 How to identify a new happy path end-to-end test for demo app
01:16 Demo app backend server clears state on boot
01:24 Dangers of sharing persisted state between end-to-end tests
01:51 Isolating Cypress test state from other end-to-end tests
01:59 How to add new happy path end-to-end test with `it.only`
02:19 How to fill in setup code for new happy path test
02:58 Save file to verify setup code runs in the new test
03:03 Start adding actual test code to the happy path end-to-end test
03:26 Using Cypress’ `clear` command to clear a text input
03:43 How to add test assertions to the new happy path end-to-end test
03:56 Using Cypress’ `should` command for explicit assertions
04:26 Link for other Cypress assertion commands
04:31 Save file to verify new happy path test runs successfully
04:40 Change `it.only` back to `it` so all end-to-end tests run
04:46 Recapping what you learned
05:04 Conclusion and next video teaser

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 04 Happy Path Tests

Test Double 2022-03-24 | In this video, add your first real-world, happy path end-to-end test with Cypress to the demo application. After watching this video, you will be able to identify happy paths in your own applications and write Cypress end-to-end tests that mimic the flow of a real user.

You will also:
- use Cypress commands such as `click` and `type` for interacting with forms
- use other kinds of selectors with Cypress’ `get` command
- learn the best kinds of selectors to use with `get` and why CSS classes are not good selector candidates

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:09 Recap of previous video
00:14 Goals for writing your first Cypress happy path end-to-end test
00:33 Reminder instructions for installing and running demo app
00:47 Reminder to run the previous tasks.spec.js file
00:57 How to identify the first candidate happy path end-to-end test
01:12 Open spec file and start writing new test
01:25 How to find elements by text with the contains command
01:50 Matching actual text in the DOM, not CSS transformed text
02:16 How Cypress matches text with case sensitivity
02:26 Cypress alternatives to match text with case insensitivity
02:36 Use Cypress’ `click` command to click elements
02:40 Cypress commands like `click` are child commands
02:55 Save file to run new test and perform Cypress `click` command
03:03 Order of end-to-end tests in Cypress test results
03:11 Reviewing the result of clicking
03:15 Inspect the app inside Cypress using browser devtools
03:35 Using devtools to identify attributes to use to select an element
03:42 Mention of Cypress’ selector playground for inspecting elements
04:04 Selecting an element by an HTML attribute with Cypress `get` command
04:15 Using Cypress child command `type` to type text like a real user
04:29 Save file to rerun end-to-end test and see text typed into input
04:35 Challenges with database persistence and running end-to-end tests multiple times
05:05 Type unique titles to avoid selecting results from previous test runs
05:38 Save file to rerun end-to-end test and see Cypress type unique title
05:42 Using devtools in Cypress to find a selector for a select element
05:59 Recommendations for kinds of selectors to use
06:11 Issues with using CSS classes for selecting elements
06:23 Accounting for when selecting by text could be error-prone
06:36 Using specific attributes like `id` for selecting elements
06:55 Selecting and clicking the select element by `id`
07:06 Finding and clicking a select option element by its text
07:13 Save file to rerun end-to-end test and see Cypress select an option
07:21 Using devtools to find a selector for a textarea element
07:35 Selecting textarea by HTML attribute and typing a description
07:45 Save file to rerun end-to-end test and see Cypress type a description
07:49 Using devtools to find a selector for another select element
08:05 Finding select element by `id` attribute and clicking
08:11 Finding and clicking a select option element by its text again
08:17 Save file to rerun end-to-end test and see Cypress select an option again
08:23 Selecting a button by text and clicking it
08:33 Reminder about selecting text by case sensitivity
08:42 Save file to rerun end-to-end test and see saved task with success message
08:55 Adding a Cypress assertion to verify a task was created
09:21 Determining a selector to verify the specific task was created
09:30 Using `id` to select the project column that should contain the new task
09:41 Reminder of using unique titles to avoid selecting tasks from previous tests
09:51 Save file to rerun end-to-end test and verify task was created properly
10:04 Recapping what you learned
10:29 Conclusion and next video teaser

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 03 Real-world Tests

Test Double 2022-03-24 | After watching this video, you will know which scenarios to test in your application and how to structure end-to-end tests to improve test suite performance.

You will learn:
- what real-world, happy path tests are
- what unhappy path tests are
- why end-to-end tests should cover realistic, happy path scenarios and align with business requirements
- how testing every scenario in your application can hurt test suite performance and maintainability

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:09 Recap of previous video
00:24 What you will learn about real-world end-to-end tests
00:43 What are real-world end-to-end tests
01:00 Multiple steps in real-world end-to-end tests with an example
01:33 Why end-to-end tests are sometimes called feature tests
01:50 Multiple steps in an end-to-end test help with test suite speed
02:15 What are happy path end-to-end tests
02:39 What are unhappy path end-to-end tests
02:50 Why testing all scenarios slows down end-to-end tests
03:01 Why testing all scenarios creates more end-to-end tests to debug
03:31 Test Double’s recommendations on the best kinds of end-to-end tests
03:42 Recapping what you learned
03:59 Conclusion and next video teaser

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

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End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 02 Getting Started

Test Double 2022-03-24 | In this video, get started with writing end-to-end tests with Cypress. After you follow along with this video, you will be able to create a Cypress end-to-end test suite for your own application and add basic tests to it.

You will learn how to:
- set up a demo application to test against
- install Cypress and initialize a new Cypress end-to-end test suite
- create a new Cypress end-to-end test file
- use Cypress commands and default assertions to create your first test
- view test run results in Cypress

Cypress Version Notice: at the time this video was recorded, Cypress was at version 7.5.0. Since then Cypress has released newer versions. Test Double recommends still installing Cypress 7.5.0 as the video directs, but the test suite in this video should still run with the newest version of Cypress. Should you run into any issues installing Cypress, Test Double can only offer support if you install version 7.5.0.

Initializing Test Suite Notice: after running `npx cypress open`, you may see a message that no version of Cypress is installed in your computer’s apps. If that happens, you can run `npx cypress install` to install the Cypress app, and then run `npx cypress open` after that.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:10 Recap of previous video
00:18 Goals for getting started writing end-to-end tests with Cypress
00:30 Introducing the demo app
00:56 Forking the demo app repo
01:25 Clone forked demo app repo
01:42 Install dependencies and run demo app
02:08 Trying out the demo app
02:51 Run server in end-to-end test environment
03:19 Install Cypress
03:52 Open Cypress to initialize end-to-end tests
04:20 Getting familiar with the Cypress app window
04:30 Running an example Cypress end-to-end test
04:53 Reviewing Cypress end-to-end test run results
04:59 Stopping Cypress end-to-end test
05:12 Inspecting Cypress file and directory artifacts
05:44 Creating a new Cypress end-to-end test file
06:13 Adding a new end-to-end test
06:26 Cypress’ global cy object
06:36 Cypress commands via the cy object
06:40 Cypress visit command
06:49 Using Cypress app window to run a new end-to-end test file
07:17 Using Cypress selector commands
07:30 Cypress get command
07:36 Cypress contains command
07:41 Chaining Cypress commands
07:56 Save to rerun the Cypress end-to-end test
08:03 Reviewing log of Cypress commands ran during an end-to-end test
08:14 Cypress default assertions as commands
08:51 Intentionally breaking test to inspect Cypress end-to-end test failures
09:05 Restoring the broken end-to-end test
09:11 Adding more default assertions via commands
09:32 Recapping what you learned
09:56 Conclusion and next video teaser

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

End-to-end Testing with Cypress Series: 01 Welcome

Test Double 2022-03-24 | If you’re a web developer or QA engineer that wants to make your application more reliable, then this video series from your friends at Test Double is for you. Follow along and learn how to write Cypress end-to-end tests that provide the most value to your business without sacrificing maintainability. This video series will take you from knowing nothing about end-to-end tests or Cypress to building your own maintainable end-to-end test suite with Cypress.

In this video, receive an introduction to the world of end-to-end testing with Cypress. You will learn who Test Double is and why we love Cypress, how end-to-end tests fit in the testing pyramid, the pros and cons of end-to-end tests, and what you should expect from this series. By the end of this video, you will understand what end-to-end tests are and why Cypress makes writing them familiar and fun.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:14 Test Double’s Mission
00:45 Contact Test Double
00:53 Test Double and Cypress
01:13 What are end-to-end tests?
01:21 Testing Pyramid and end-to-end tests
01:37 Cons of end-to-end tests
01:58 Pros of Cypress end-to-end testing
02:59 Who can benefit from end-to-end testing with Cypress
03:37 What to expect in this series on end-to-end tests with Cypress
04:19 Prerequisites
05:13 What you will learn from this video series
05:54 Conclusion and next video teaser

Find out more about Test Double at link.testdouble.com/more-info

Image Attributions:
pixabay.com/illustrations/hook-check-mark-done-yes-consent-2470296
pixabay.com/vectors/tag-badge-logo-medal-tape-763169

Babies Just Want to Have Fun

Test Double 2022-02-10 | Join Ali Ibrahim on a journey to make music more accessible for his young son. From prototypes to kinda-finished products, we’ll put together a music player that gives toddlers the ability to enjoy music like the rest of us. Along the way, Ali encounters Raspberry Pi, the Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board, and the power of pairing.

This talk was presented as a whimsy session at Ruby Conf 2021.

00:04 Inspiration behind this music box project
00:42 Requirements for the project
01:36 Really complicated solution to this problem
02:17 Is Raspberry Pi the best option for the music box?
03:00 The only thing missing is free time
03:25 Hackathon at work
04:27 Turning to pairing when you're stuck
05:12 Catching the bread board problem
06:04 Pivoting to Adafruit sound board
06:58 Turning to pairing to talk through electrical wiring
08:13 Making the music box
09:23 Does the music box work?

How to Trust Again

Test Double 2022-02-09 | Why has trust become so rare in the software industry? Developers don't trust their own ability to program, teammates don't trust each other to write quality code, and organizations don't trust that people are working hard enough to deliver on time.

This talk is a reflection on the far-reaching consequences distrust can have for individuals, teams, and organizations and an exploration of what we stand to gain by adopting a more trustful orientation towards ourselves and each other.

Full description and transcript here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2022-02-09-how-to-trust-again

Mastering the Macro Machine

Test Double 2021-11-11 | Do you want to know more about how to use macros in Vim? In this talk, learn tips and tricks for mastering macros in Vim with an example project.

This talk was presented at VimConf 2021 by Camilo Payan.

00:00 Introduction
00:17 Introducing StandardRB tasks
00:41 Movements
01:16 Macros
01:47 Basic macro demonstration
02:36 Appending to a macro
03:12 Vim registers
03:40 Editing macros using registers
04:00 Inline vim movements
05:56 Prefixes for macros
06:58 Suffixes for macros
08:34 Creating a table of contents for a README file
09:06 Marks and jumps
12:17 Recursive macros
13:40 Lazy redraw
14:16 Thank you!
15:14 Questions and answers

How to Make a Gem of a Gem

Test Double 2021-11-10 | Ever wonder how to make a Ruby gem? This video will walk you through EVERY step of creating & releasing a brand new gem and also share some advice on how to make your next Ruby gem a great one. Details: testdouble.com/talks/2021-11-10-how-to-make-a-gem-of-a-gem

This presentation was presented at RubyConf 2021 by Justin Searls.

How to Find and Remove Dead CSS

Test Double 2021-06-03 | Ever have old CSS styles pile up that you're afraid to remove because you're not sure if anything else is depending on them? Here's one way to get more confidence about which styles are actually unused and safe to delete, by using combining the code coverage results for each page on your website.

More at our blog: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2021-06-03-how-to-find-and-remove-dead-css

How to set up a new Mac for development

Test Double 2020-05-24 | A walkthrough of how @searls sets up a new Mac from the minute you first land on the desktop, through configuring the system, setting it up for development, and going to work.

More details at our blog: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2020-05-28-setting-up-a-new-mac-for-development

Parcel a First Look at Creating Your Production Build

Test Double 2020-05-24 | Tommy from Test Double walks you through starting a new project with Parcel Bundler from an empty folder all the way to a production build with React, PostCSS, Tailwind, and even Vue!

Chapters:
0:00 Live coding with Parcel Bundler
0:03 Introduction
4:34 Begin Screencast; Inital Project and build HTML with Parcel
9:01 Add PostCSS and Tailwind CSS
15:32 Purge unused CSS rules
19:31 Basic JavaScript build
24:11 Add React to your build
31:24 Add Vue to your build
37:58 Add images
43:14 Simple explanation of Parcel's build approach
46:11 ONE MORE THING: Code-splitting with React
50:50 Conclusion and Summary

More details on the Test Double Blog: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2020-05-21-parcel-js-bundler
Website: testdouble.com
Twitter:
Tommy Groshong: twitter.com/tgroshon
Test Double: twitter.com/testdouble

Debugging React Routing w/ Tommy Groshong

Test Double 2020-05-15 | Tommy from Test Double walks you through a practical debugging scenario with client-side routing and History API pushstate in React.

Example Code: github.com/testdouble/react-routing-example
Website: testdouble.com
Twitter:
Tommy Groshong: twitter.com/tgroshon
Test Double: twitter.com/testdouble

Cypress vs. Capybara, part 3: testing with Cypress (Justin Searls)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | ...

Cypress vs. Capybara, part 2: testing with Capybara (Justin Searls)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | ...

Cypress vs. Capybara, part 1: the setup (Justin Searls)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | ...

Under Pressure (Todd Kaufman)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | It’s an accepted truth in software development; when deadlines loom the team will be pressured to GO FASTER. Unable to convince management of the risks, we resign to cutting corners and working longer hours. Unfortunately the result is just as predictable, a short spike in velocity and many delays to come.

This talk is an exploration of how to reverse the velocity spiral by building high trust relationships with management. We’ll discuss root causes of our distrust like estimation, communication, and abuse of power so that the team can resist short sighted solutions that will plague them for years to come.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2017-05-31-under-pressure

A Better Technical Interview (Sam Jones)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | It’s easy to find fault in the way we interview in tech. Often, there are unclear goals, trivia questions, and unrealistic coding environments. Let’s analyze the things we don’t like, and design a better process. Let’s make a better technical interview with honesty, transparency, and a more realistic experience.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2017-01-27-a-better-technical-interview

Solving the Boolean Identity Crisis (Jeremy Fairbank)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | While powerful in its simplicity and important to computation, the boolean can be extremely limiting in Elm applications. In this talk, briefly explore the history of boolean logic in computation and look at how booleans can become misused in Elm. See how booleans obscure the meaning of code, make code harder to maintain, and hinder usability for our teammates and users. By watching this talk, you will learn how to harness union types to write cleaner, clearer code. More importantly, you will learn how to place usability at the forefront of the APIs and UIs you build.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2017-10-06-solving-the-boolean-identity-crisis

JavaScript is too convenient (Sam Jones)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | Which conveniences do we take advantage of everyday? Which are taking advantage of us?

Objects and functions sure are convenient, so convenient that we do many shortsighted things just because they’re easy.

In-line objects and anonymous functions create a poor signal to noise ratio, making it hard to understand your code.

Learn ways to give confusing things names, focus on what’s important, and write nicer code.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2018-05-02-javascript-is-too-convenient

Going To Eleven (Steve Jackson)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | This is the story of a real-life product “land rush”. It starts with designing a load test, picking tools, and isolating a slew of dependencies. That’s the easy part. The fun really starts when the load test runs. Hold on tight and we’ll ride this swarm to the finish line.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2017-05-31-going-to-eleven

Better Software Through Shared Understanding (Steve Jackson)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | This talk takes a step back from the toolbox to ask: What are the core benefits a tool should provide?

As a project grows up, it has different needs and benefits from differing levels of “discipline”. Likewise, people have differing comfort levels for process rigor.

Too often we focus on the laundry list of benefits that we might get from a tool without considering the maturity of our project or the composition of the team. We want to build shared understanding without dictating a process that crushes diverse thought and collaboration.

This talk proposes examples as a universal way to build shared understanding without tying a team to specific tools or implementations.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2017-05-18-shared_understanding

Effective React Testing (Jeremy Fairbank)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | Many teams relish building applications with React these days. Composable components and unidirectional data flow with Redux create a solid foundation for modular applications. By this point, you know higher-order components, selectors, and render props like the back of your hand. But what about testing?

If you neglect to write React tests because you don’t know what to test, which types of tests provide the most value, or how to start testing, then this talk will guide your path. I explain the difference among unit, isolation, and end-to-end tests, and provide a general framework for how to test your application.

You will learn about the testing framework Jest, how to test-drive components with Enzyme for design feedback, the magic and trade-offs of snapshot testing, how to unit and integration test your reducer and actions, and how to test your entire application in a browser by simulating user scenarios. Of course, I offer both pros and cons to each type of test, so you and your team can discover what works best for you. You will also learn how to use our nifty testdouble.js library.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2018-04-09-effective-react-testing

Life After Nil (Sam Jones)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | There are murmurs that a type system will be coming to Ruby. Before that happens, you should get informed about what is hot in the current type system market. Haskell is known for its type system, but instead of describing it with dense language, let’s take a journey through code examples. Throughout our trip, we will avoid scary buzzwords like “monad” and “algebraic data type” because, honestly, what good is a formal definition when you don’t understand the power behind the concept?

We will compare solutions in Ruby to solutions in Haskell, and each stop on our trip will introduce a new mind-blowing paradigm brought to you by Haskell’s type system. You will learn about type systems through a non-threatening story, and you’ll understand the value a type system can bring to your code. Key stops on our route will be “forget about nil”, “declaratively model your domain”, and “allow your compiler to drive your design”.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2017-01-18-life-after-nil

Looking for Failure (Steve Jackson)

Test Double 2020-03-11 | Failures are interesting. They tend to teach lasting personal lessons, but we are loath to share them. These lessons have profound impacts on our habits and viewpoints, but they’re difficult to recount. We need to get comfortable talking about failure. Unfortunately, our brains are wired to screw this up. When confronted with a failure, we are conditioned to ignore it, make ourselves blameless, or create elaborate strategies to avoid the possibility of failure altogether. I’d like to present another alternative: embrace failure. It will happen. That’s ok.

How can we challenge our natural human bias? I’ve spent the last couple years digging into “pop” psychology and thinking about how books like “Thinking Fast and Slow”, “Antifragile”, “Drive”, “Blink”, and “Outliers” apply in a software development environment. I’m most excited about the idea that if we can make failure “safe” then we can use it to learn things that we would otherwise be tempted to avoid and ignore because it might go badly. A focus on failure, both deliberate and accidental, has been beneficial in moving my projects beyond the no defects, 100% test coverage type focus and towards finding innovative ways to detect and quickly reverse failure.

More here: blog.testdouble.com/talks/2017-07-31-looking-for-failure