Porting Code and Unit Tests to the device:

After much work, we ported the source code and unit tests from the desktop versions of CompositeUI, CompositeUI.Winforms, and ObjectBuilder projects to corresponding Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC projects. We even got the unit tests to pass when run on the VSTS unit tester. We're done right? Wrong.

In order to get a real sense of completion, we need to run our unit tests on the device, as opposed to the VSTS test runner that runs on the desktop. After some searching, we did not find a suitable tool, so we wrote our own: CFUnitTester.

After running the Mobile CAB and ObjectBuilder unit tests on a device via CFUnitTester, we found remarkable differences in the way our code ran on the desktop versus on a device. One difference being that on the desktop, there is an app domain versus none on the device. After fixing our code and updating our tests, we were finally able to get all unit tests to pass on both VSTS test runner and CFUnitTester.

Looking back at this experience, I could not imagine how long it would have taken to port CAB and ObjectBuilder if it weren't for the large number of unit tests. Thank you CAB and ObjectBuilder teams for your test driven development. You saved us months of work!!!

Adapting VSTS Test Classes to Run on CFUnitTester:

  1. Assuming you have a VSTS test project named <MyAssembly>.Tests, create a WM5 Pocket PC Class Library project named <MyAssembly>.Tests.CF. Move the project file into the same folder as your VSTS test project. This is so that both projects can share the same files & test classes.
  2. In Visual Studio Solution Explorer, select the device test project you just created and click the "Show All Files" button. You should now see the files in the VSTS test project. Select the test classes (typically named <MyClass>Fixture.cs) and supporting files and select "Include in Project" from the Right-Click menu.
  3. Add a reference to the Microsoft.Practices.Mobile.TestTools.UnitTesting assembly which is one of the three assemblies in the CFUnitTester.
  4. Add reference(s) to the projects/assemblies that your tests depend upon, matching the references in the VSTS test project with the exception of Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting which is for VSTS desktop testing.
  5. You will now need to modify every test class in your test assembly to dynamically use the CFUnitTester if the test is running on the PocketPC. Wrap the using statement that references the VSTS UnitTesting assembly.

    6. #if PocketPC
    using Microsoft.Practices.Mobile.TestTools.UnitTesting;
    #else
    using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
    #endif

  6. You should now be able to successfully compile.
  7. Now, add the GuiTestRunner and TestRunner projects from CFUnitTester to your solution.
  8. Deploy the GuiTestRunner project. This should deploy the GuiTestRunner and supporting assemblies to the device folder: Program Files\GuiTestRunner
  9. Edit the properties for your new device test project... On the "Devices" tab,  change the Output file folder to: %CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES%\GuiTestRunner
  10. Deploy your new device test project.
  11. On the device, open File Explorer and navigate to the Program Files\GuiTestRunner folder and tap on the GuiTestRunner executable. This should reflect over all assemblies in the same folder looking for test classes and test methods, TestClassAttribute and TestMethodAttribute respectively.
  12. The GuiTestRunner UI should display your new device test project and associated test classes & methods. Select a test project by tapping the appropriate checkbox and tap the Run Selected button.
  13. Examine the results in the Results tab. The GuiTestRunner also dumps the results to Program Files\GuiTestRunner\log.txt on the device.
If you need to debug your tests, simply set the GuiTestRunner as the startup project, and F5.
Enjoy.