Table-driven testing is a paradigm where multiple test cases are defined in a structured format with inputs and expected outputs.
Instead of multiple test functions, a single function processes the test cases by iterating through them.
Benefits include reduced code duplication, improved maintainability, better test coverage visibility, and ease of adding new test cases.
Table-driven testing is well-suited for unit tests, especially for pure functions with predictable outputs.
In Go, the testing framework supports this approach by using a structured table for test cases.
Table-driven testing can also be implemented in Python with frameworks like unittest or pytest, using subtests or parametrize.
The .subTest() context manager in unittest and pytest's parametrize decorator enable creating subtests for individual test cases.
While the paradigm offers benefits, it may not be suitable for testing scenarios involving complex setup, side effects, sequence dependency, or complex assertions.
In conclusion, table-driven testing provides a structured and maintainable way to test multiple input/output combinations effectively.
It excels in unit testing but may not be ideal for more complex testing scenarios like UI or integration testing.