The Silent Catcher

Definition:

• A test that passes if an exception is thrown. Even if the exception that actually occurs is one that is different than the one the developer intended.

Also Known As:

• The Secret Catcher

Code Example:

[Test]
[ExpectedException(typeof(Exception))]
public void ItShouldThrowDivideByZeroException()
{
  // some code that throws another exception yet passes the test
}

References:

Quality attributes

• - Code Example

• - Cause and Effect

• - Frequency

• - Refactoring

• Anti-Patterns - Digital Tapestry

• Smells in software test code: A survey of knowledge in industry and academia

• Unit testing Anti-patterns catalogue