TestSpec

A test specification written as part of TDD, defining the expected behavior of a unit before implementation.

AgileBest PracticesContinuous IntegrationExtreme ProgrammingMethodologySoftware DevelopmentTesting

Properties

Name	Type	Description
id	string	Unique identifier for the test specification.
name	string	Descriptive name of the test specification.
describe	string	The subject under test described in the outermost describe block.
context	string	The specific scenario or context being tested.
it_should	string	The expected behavior expressed as it should... statement.
given	string	Given precondition for BDD-style specs.
when	string	When action for BDD-style specs.
then	string	Then expected outcome for BDD-style specs.
assertions	array	List of assertions that must pass for the spec to be satisfied.
tags	array	Tags for filtering and organizing specs.
language	string	Programming language of the test spec.
framework	string	Testing framework the spec is written for.
status	string	Current execution status of the spec.

View JSON Schema on GitHub

JSON Schema

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "$id": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/test-driven-development/refs/heads/main/json-schema/test-driven-development-test-spec-schema.json",
  "title": "TestSpec",
  "description": "A test specification written as part of TDD, defining the expected behavior of a unit before implementation.",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Unique identifier for the test specification."
    },
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Descriptive name of the test specification."
    },
    "describe": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The subject under test described in the outermost describe block."
    },
    "context": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The specific scenario or context being tested."
    },
    "it_should": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The expected behavior expressed as it should... statement."
    },
    "given": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Given precondition for BDD-style specs."
    },
    "when": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "When action for BDD-style specs."
    },
    "then": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Then expected outcome for BDD-style specs."
    },
    "assertions": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "#/$defs/Assertion"
      },
      "description": "List of assertions that must pass for the spec to be satisfied."
    },
    "tags": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      },
      "description": "Tags for filtering and organizing specs."
    },
    "language": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Programming language of the test spec."
    },
    "framework": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Testing framework the spec is written for."
    },
    "status": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["pending", "passing", "failing", "skipped"],
      "description": "Current execution status of the spec."
    }
  },
  "required": ["id", "name", "it_should"],
  "$defs": {
    "Assertion": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "type": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": ["equals", "contains", "matches", "throws", "resolves", "rejects"],
          "description": "Type of assertion."
        },
        "expected": {
          "description": "The expected value for the assertion."
        },
        "message": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Failure message shown when the assertion fails."
        }
      },
      "required": ["type"]
    }
  }
}