[#12995] Create documentation for unit tests (#12996)

* Create documentation for unit tests

* Update docs/unit-testing.md

Co-authored-by: Zhang Ziqing <[email protected]>

* Update docs/unit-testing.md

Co-authored-by: Zhang Ziqing <[email protected]>

---------

Co-authored-by: Zhang Ziqing <[email protected]>

docs/_markbind/layouts/default.md

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
   * [Captcha]({{ baseUrl }}/captcha.html)
   * [Documentation]({{ baseUrl }}/documentation.html)
   * [Emails]({{ baseUrl }}/emails.html)
+  * [Unit Testing]({{ baseUrl }}/unit-testing.html)
   * [End-to-End Testing]({{ baseUrl }}/e2e-testing.html)
   * [Performance Testing]({{ baseUrl }}/performance-testing.html)
   * [Accessibility Testing]({{ baseUrl }}/axe-testing.html)

docs/development.md

@@ -291,7 +291,9 @@ There are two big categories of testing in TEAMMATES:
 - **Component tests**: white-box unit and integration tests, i.e. they test the application components with full knowledge of the components' internal workings. This is configured in `src/test/resources/testng-component.xml` (back-end) and `src/web/jest.config.js` (front-end).
 - **E2E (end-to-end) tests**: black-box tests, i.e. they test the application as a whole without knowing any internal working. This is configured in `src/e2e/resources/testng-e2e.xml`. To learn more about E2E tests, refer to this [document](e2e-testing.md).  
 
-#### Running the tests
+<div id="running-tests">
+
+#### Running tests
 
 ##### Frontend tests
 
@@ -335,6 +337,8 @@ You can generate the coverage data with `jacocoReport` task after running tests,
 
 The report can be found in the `build/reports/jacoco/jacocoReport/` directory.
 
+</div>
+
 ## Deploying to a staging server
 
 > `Staging server` is the server instance you set up on Google App Engine for hosting the app for testing purposes.

docs/unit-testing.md

@@ -0,0 +1,206 @@
+<frontmatter>
+  title: "Unit Testing"
+</frontmatter>
+
+# Unit Testing  
+
+## What is Unit Testing?
+
+Unit testing is a testing methodology where the objective is to test components in isolation.
+
+- It aims to ensure all components of the application work as expected, assuming its dependencies are working.   
+- This is done in TEAMMATES by using mocks to simulate a component's dependencies.  
+
+Frontend Unit tests in TEAMMATES are located in `.spec.ts` files, while Backend Unit tests in TEAMMATES can be found in the package `teammates.test`.
+
+
+## Writing Unit Tests
+
+### General guidelines
+
+#### Include only relevant details in tests
+When writing unit tests, reduce the amount of noise in the code to make it easier for future developers to follow.
+
+The code below has a lot of noise in creation of the `studentModel`:
+
+```javascript
+it('displayInviteButton: should display "Send Invite" button when a student has not joined the course', () => {
+    component.studentModels = [
+      {
+        student: {
+          name: 'tester',
+          teamName: 'Team 1',
+          email: '[email protected]',
+          joinState: JoinState.NOT_JOINED,
+          sectionName: 'Tutorial Group 1',
+          courseId: 'text-exa.demo',
+        },
+        isAllowedToViewStudentInSection: true,
+        isAllowedToModifyStudent: true,
+      },
+    ];
+
+    expect(sendInviteButton).toBeTruthy();
+});
+```
+
+However, what is important is only the student joinState. We should thus reduce the noise by including only the relevant details:
+
+```javascript
+it('displayInviteButton: should display "Send Invite" button when a student has not joined the course', () => {
+    component.studentModels = [
+      studentModelBuilder
+        .joinState(JoinState.NOT_JOINED)
+        .build()
+    ];
+
+    expect(sendInviteButton).toBeTruthy();
+});
+```
+
+Including only the relevant details in tests makes it easier for future developers to read and understand the purpose of the test.
+
+#### Favor readability over uniqueness
+Since tests don't have tests, it should be easy for developers to manually inspect them for correctness, even at the expense of greater code duplication.
+
+Take the following test for example:
+
+```java
+@BeforeMethod
+public void setUp() {
+    users = new User[]{new User("alice"), new User("bob")};
+}
+
+@Test
+public void test_register_canRegisterMultipleUsers() {
+    registerAllUsers();
+    for (User user : users) {
+        assertTrue(forum.hasRegisteredUser(user));
+    }
+}
+
+private void registerAllUsers() {
+    for (User user : users) {
+        forum.register(user);
+    }
+}
+```
+
+While the code reduces duplication, it is not as straightforward for a developer to follow.
+
+A more readable way to write this test would be:
+```java
+@Test
+public void test_register_canRegisterMultipleUsers() {
+    User user1 = new User("alice");
+    User user2 = new User("bob");
+
+    forum.register(user1);
+    forum.register(user2);
+
+    assertTrue(forum.hasRegisteredUser(user1));
+    assertTrue(forum.hasRegisteredUser(user2));
+}
+```
+
+By choosing readability over uniqueness in writing unit tests, there is code duplication, but the test flow is easier for a reader to follow.
+
+
+#### Inline mocks in test code
+
+Inlining mock return values in the unit test itself improves readability:
+
+```javascript
+it('getStudentCourseJoinStatus: should return true if student has joined the course' , () => {
+    jest.spyOn(courseService, 'getJoinCourseStatus')
+        .mockReturnValue(of({ hasJoined: true }));
+
+    expect(student.getJoinCourseStatus).toBeTruthy();
+});
+```
+
+By injecting the values in the test right before they are used, developers are able to more easily trace the code and understand the test.
+
+### Frontend
+
+#### Naming
+Unit tests for a function should follow the format:
+
+`"<function-name>: should ... when/if ..."`
+
+Example:
+
+```javascript
+  it('hasSection: should return false when there are no sections in the course')
+```
+
+#### Creating test data
+To aid with [including only relevant details in tests](#include-only-relevant-details-in-tests), use the builder in `src/web/test-helpers/generic-builder.ts`
+
+Usage:
+```javascript
+const instructorModelBuilder = createBuilder<InstructorListInfoTableRowModel>({
+    email: '[email protected]',
+    name: 'Instructor',
+    hasSubmittedSession: false,
+    isSelected: false,
+});
+
+it('isAllInstructorsSelected: should return false if at least one instructor !isSelected', () => {
+component.instructorListInfoTableRowModels = [
+  instructorModelBuilder.isSelected(true).build(),
+  instructorModelBuilder.isSelected(false).build(),
+  instructorModelBuilder.isSelected(true).build(),
+];
+
+expect(component.isAllInstructorsSelected).toBeFalsy();
+});
+
+```
+
+#### Testing event emission
+In Angular, child components emit events. To test for event emissions, we've provided a utility function in `src/test-helpers/test-event-emitter`
+
+Usage:
+```javascript
+@Output()
+deleteCommentEvent: EventEmitter<number> = new EventEmitter();
+
+triggerDeleteCommentEvent(index: number): void {
+  this.deleteCommentEvent.emit(index);
+}
+
+it('triggerDeleteCommentEvent: should emit the correct index to deleteCommentEvent', () => {
+  let emittedIndex: number | undefined;
+  testEventEmission(component.deleteCommentEvent, (index) => { emittedIndex = index; });
+
+  component.triggerDeleteCommentEvent(5);
+  expect(emittedIndex).toBe(5);
+});
+```
+
+### Backend
+
+#### Naming
+Unit test names should follow the format: `test<functionName>_<scenario>_<outcome>`
+
+Examples:
+```java
+public void testGetComment_commentDoesNotExist_returnsNull()
+public void testCreateComment_commentDoesNotExist_success()
+public void testCreateComment_commentAlreadyExists_throwsEntityAlreadyExistsException()
+```
+
+#### Creating test data
+To aid with [including only relevant details in tests](#include-only-relevant-details-in-tests), use the `getTypicalX` functions in `BaseTestCase`, where X represents an entity.
+
+Example:
+```java
+Account account = getTypicalAccount();
+account.setEmail("[email protected]");
+
+Student student = getTypicalStudent();
+student.setName("New Student Name");
+```
+
+<include src="development.md#running-tests" />