Dead Field

Definition:

• Occurs when a class or its super classes have fields that are never used by any test method. Often dead fields are inherited. This can indicate a non-optimal inheritance structure, or that the super class conflicts with the single responsibility principle. Also, dead fields within the test class itself can indicate incomplete or deprecated development activities.

References:

Quality attributes

• - Code Example

• - Cause and Effect

• - Frequency

• - Refactoring

• Automated Detection of Test Fixture Strategies and Smells

• Automatic generation of smell-free unit tests

• Strategies for avoiding text fixture smells during software evolution

• Test Smell Detection Tools: A Systematic Mapping Study