unit testing - Why is design-by-contract not so popular compared to test-driven development?

Question

You may think this question is like this question asked on StackOverflow earlier. But I am trying to look at things differently.

In TDD, we write tests that include different conditions, criteria, verification code. If a class passes all these tests we are good to go. It is a way of making sure that the class actually does what it's supposed to do and nothing else.

If you follow Bertrand Meyers' book Object Oriented Software Construction word by word, the class itself has internal and external contracts, so that it only does what its supposed to do and nothing else. No external tests required because the to code to ensure contract is followed is the part of the class.

Quick example to make things clear

TDD

1. Create test to ensure that in all cases a value ranges from (0-100)

2. Create a class containing a method that passes the test.

DBC

1. Create a class, create a contract for that member var to range from (0-100), set contract for contract breach, define a method.

I personally like the DBC approach.

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Is there a reason why pure DBC is not so popular? Is it the languages or tools or being Agile or is it just me who likes to have code responsible for itself?

If you think I am not thinking right, I would be more than willing to learn.

Answer 1

The main problem with DBC is that in the vast majority of cases, either the contract cannot be formally specified (at least not conveniently), or it cannot be checked with current static analysis tool. Until we get past this point for mainstream languages (not Eiffel), DBC will not give the kind of assurance that people need.

In TDD, tests are written by a human being based on the current natural-text specifications of the method that are (hopefully) well-documented. Thus, a human interprets correctness by writing the test and gets some assurance based on that interpretation.

If you read Sun's guide for writing JavaDocs, it says that the documentation should essentially lay out a contract sufficient to write a test plan. Hence, design by contract is not necessarily mutually exclusive with TDD.