Unit testing Compiled JavaScript?

Question

I am planning to use either CoffeeScript or TypeScript in one of my project which transcompiles to JavaScript. And I would like to use Jasmine/Mocha unit testing framework. But I could not find proper answers to below questions in google.

Which is correct, testing complied JavaScript or CoffeScript/TypeScript and Why ?
Does it make sense to use TypeScript/CoffeeScript to write testcases as well ?

Depending upon what you are doing, you may never need to see JavaScript. Express, Sails, Meteor, Browserify, NodeUnit, WebStorm, and others (don't know about Jasmine/Mocha) will compile it for you including source maps for debugging such that you rarely need to see the JavaScript. So, my answer to both 1 and 2 is to try to stay in CoffeeScript/Typescript for everything and try (you won't quite succeed) to think about JavaScript as much as you think about machine language when you are using a language like C. — Larry Maccherone
– Larry Maccherone, Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 2:59
It completely makes sense to use TS or CS for unit testing. If you are using TypeScript, some framework exist: tsUnit, Oscar etc. These frameworks are closer to static languages than Jasmine or fellows, which are inherited from Rails tools. — Adrien Cadet
– Adrien Cadet, Commented Dec 31, 2014 at 6:29

Thilo · Accepted Answer · 2014-11-26 02:23:25Z

2

You have to compile CoffeeScript/TypeScript in order to run it. That includes testing. So, yes, you test the compiled version. You may want to have different (smaller) compilation units for the unit tests if compiling the whole thing takes too long.
Sure. Then you get all the advantages you chose these languages for.

answered Nov 26, 2014 at 2:23

Thilo

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basarat · Accepted Answer · 2014-11-26 02:22:48Z

1

My doubt is which will make sense testing complied JavaScript or CoffeScript/TypeScript and Why

Either will work fine.

Does it make sense to use TypeScript/CoffeeScript to write testcases as well ?

Yes it does. Stick and a language an run with it. For TypeScript you might find this quick sample as useful : https://github.com/TypeStrong/tsproj

code: https://github.com/TypeStrong/tsproj/tree/master/src/lib tests: https://github.com/TypeStrong/tsproj/tree/master/src/test

I don't have a better sample that is still simple :)

answered Nov 26, 2014 at 2:22

basarat

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