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Have you ever stared at a blank feature spec file hoping for tests to magically appear? Well, you’re not alone! In this talk we’ll take a look at how the combination of Test-Driven Development, pseudocode and RSpec can help get you to your initial commit with confidence, one RSpec error at a time!
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In her talk "Blank Page Panic! Creating Confidence with TDD" at RubyConf 2021, Elayne Juten shares her journey through the challenges of coding, particularly focusing on overcoming the common experience of 'blank page panic'. This phenomenon is akin to writer's block but occurs in the realm of programming, where developers encounter anxiety when faced with a blank feature spec file. Elayne describes her personal struggles with fear, perfectionism, and self-criticism, which often lead to panic attacks when starting new coding tasks. To combat these feelings, she emphasizes various strategies that can help regain confidence before diving into coding: - **Take Breaks**: Stepping away from the code to exercise or change the environment can alleviate anxiety. - **Switch Tasks**: Tackling smaller tasks or quick wins can build a sense of accomplishment and help regain confidence. - **Minimize Distractions**: Using 'Do Not Disturb' modes on communication apps to create uninterrupted focus time is essential. - **Embrace Progress Over Perfection**: Understanding that each small step is progress towards the end goal can help reduce the pressure to achieve perfection right away. Transitioning to the technical aspect, Elayne introduces Test-Driven Development (TDD) as a powerful tool to combat these feelings of panic. TDD involves writing tests before code, which provides immediate feedback through error messages, guiding the development process step-by-step. She demonstrates this process using a practical example related to a local humane society's application that tracks animal feeding based on their type and weight. Elayne outlines a structured workflow: 1. **Pseudocode**: She advocates for writing pseudocode to break down the task into manageable components, ensuring clarity in the coding process. 2. **RSpec**: Using RSpec, a testing tool in Ruby, she illustrates how to set up test blocks (describe, context, and it blocks) to outline various test scenarios. 3. **Iterative Development**: By continually running tests and addressing failures, she showcases how TDD helps incrementally build confidence and code quality. 4. **Refactoring**: Once the tests pass, there's space for refining the code without disrupting ongoing progress. Elayne emphasizes the emotional aspect of programming, highlighting how the act of running tests and receiving positive results can feel like an emotional "hug" that boosts confidence. The session concludes with an invitation for audience engagement, where she encourages sharing their personal strategies for overcoming coding anxieties. Overall, the talk positions TDD as an effective method to turn initial programming fears into confident coding abilities, allowing developers to embrace the challenges of software building with renewed assurance.
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