Html5 — 04 — Unit Testing For PixiJS Games
I’ve talked about HTML5 as a game development part of the industry and a tool pipeline. I’m excited to break back into Unit Testing with HTML5 and its powerful and compelling workflows with TypeScript and WebGPU.
The Importance of Unit Testing
Starting a new project is always exciting, imagining the possibilities and potential. However, as the codebase grows, maintaining it can become challenging. Unit testing is a best practice that helps manage and maintain code quality over time. Think of unit testing as an investment in your codebase’s health and longevity. It helps ensure that your code remains understandable and maintainable for you and your team. Good habits and discipline in coding can lead to great results, and unit testing is a key part of that.
Implementing Unit Testing in PixiJS
Unit testing in PixiJS can be integrated smoothly into your development workflow. Here’s how you can set up and use unit tests in the PixiJS project template:
- Download and install dependencies — Clone the repo and run `npm install` to fetch all necessary dependencies
- Build and start the project — Run `npm run build` to compile the project and `npm run start` to launch a local server
- Run unit tests — Use `npm run start-with-test` to start the project and watch for changes in both code and tests
The template includes a basic unit testing setup using Jest. Here’s a simple example of a unit test for a calculator class:
test('add: result is 10 when 5 and 5', () => {
const expected = 10;
const result = calculator.add(5, 5);
expect(result).toBe(expected);
});CI/CD and Best Practices
Integrating unit tests into your continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline ensures that tests run automatically whenever changes are made. This practice helps catch bugs early and maintains code quality.
Highlights:
- CI/CD integration — Automate tests to run on each commit or pull request
- Focus on catching bugs early — Early detection of issues reduces the cost of fixes
- Maintain a high quality of code — Ensure the codebase is reliable and easy to work with
In summary, incorporating unit testing into your PixiJS projects can greatly enhance your development workflow and maintain the quality of your code. The provided project template offers a solid foundation to start with, and integrating these practices will help you build better, more maintainable HTML5 games.
Resources
🦜 Contact
- Samuel Asher Rivello has over 20 years of game dev XP. He is available for remote, contract hire as a game developer and game dev educator.
- Contact Sam today to say hi and discuss your projects!
📜 Articles
- Html5–01 — Gaming Overview
- Html5–02 — PixiJS For Gaming
- Html5–03 — PixiJS Project Template
- Html5–04 — Unit Testing For PixiJS Games
- Html5–05 — ExcaliburJS Overview
- Html5–06 — ExcaliburJS Critique
- Html5–07 — ExcaliburJS Project Template
