Really? COBOL? Yes, really. There are lots of enterprisey things that just aren't test-driven because of a lack of tooling. COBOL is one of them and it misses out on all the benefits of TDD. But it doesn't have to. In this session I will show how I used RSpec to test-drive MicroFocus COBOL on Windows and demo it with a simple kata. In the process you'll learn a smattering of COBOL and how to apply the same basic technique to test-drive other difficult to test technologies.

1. Mad Computer Science
Testing COBOL With RSpec
Guy Royse
royseg@nationwide.com
@guyroyse

2. About Me
Guy Royse
Development Competency Lead
Application Development Center
LikesTDD, Pairing, Polyglot
Programming, Piña Coladas, Walks in
the Rain
Dislikes Coding
Alone, Complexity, Being Confused for
Hagrid
2

3. COBOL
Java
Ruby
TDD
RSpec
3

4. 4

5. About COBOL
5

6. Completely
Obsolete
Business
Oriented
Language
6

7. **
** No affiliation with GEICO is intended or implied. All rights reserved.
Look both ways before crossing the street. Vote early and vote often.
7

8. 8

9. 9

10. A Simple Application
The Data
The Code
Contact
Validator
Contact
Phone
Address
Phone
Validator
Address
Validator
10

11. Java Data Implementation
public class Contact {
private String name;
private Phone home;
private Phone cell;
private Address address;
public String getName() {
return name
};
public void setName(String name) {
this.name = name;
}
/* etc. */
}
11

12. COBOL Data Implementation
01
CONTACT.
05 NAME
05 HOME-PHONE.
10 HOME-AREA-CODE
10 HOME-EXCHANGE
10 HOME-PHONE-NUMBER
05 CELL-PHONE.
10 CELL-AREA-CODE
10 CELL-EXCHANGE
10 CELL-PHONE-NUMBER
05 ADDRESS.
10 STREET
10 CITY
10 STATE
10 ZIP-CODE
PIC X(30).
PIC 9(3).
PIC 9(3).
PIC 9(4).
PIC 9(3).
PIC 9(3).
PIC 9(4).
PIC
PIC
PIC
PIC
X(30).
X(20).
X(2).
X(5).
12

13. Java Code Implementation
public class ContactValidator {
private PhoneValidatorphoneValidator;
private AddressValidatoraddressValidator;
public void validate(Contact contact) {
validateName(contact.getName);
phoneValidator.validate(contact.getHome());
phoneValidator.validate(contact.getCell());
addressValidator.validate(contact.getAddress());
}
private void validateName(String name) {
/* validates name */
}
}
13

14. COBOL Code Implementation
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. CONTACT-VALIDATOR.
PROCEDURE DIVISION USING CONTACT.
MAIN.
CALL PHONE-VALIDATOR USING HOME-PHONE.
CALL PHONE-VALIDATOR USING CELL-PHONE.
CALL ADDRESS-VALIDATOR USING ADDRESS.
PERFORM VALIDATE-NAME.
GOBACK
VALIDATE-NAME.
* VALIDATE NAME
14

15. 15

16. 16

17. Eternity
Ruby
COBOL
command.txt
input.txt
contact
spec.rb
ETERNITY
.CBL
eternity.rb
CONTACT
.CBL
output.txt
17

18. 18

19. Image Credits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justin_case/1525042316
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbmd/2475626473
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kc-bike/2398970429
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7603557@N08/454618030
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pennuja/5386712834
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackeycove/3997170938
19