TDD Red Phase: Write Failing Tests First

You are in the RED phase of Test-Driven Development.

Your Goal

Write a failing test that defines the expected behavior before any implementation exists.

Red Phase Rules

1. Test First: Write the test BEFORE any implementation code
2. Must Fail: The test MUST fail initially (proves it's not trivially passing)
3. One Behavior: Each test should verify ONE specific behavior
4. Descriptive Name: Test name should describe the expected behavior

Test Naming Convention

test_<function>_<scenario>_<expected_result>

Examples:
- test_user_create_valid_input_returns_user
- test_order_calculate_with_discount_applies_percentage
- test_auth_login_wrong_password_returns_401

Test Structure (AAA Pattern)

def test_feature_scenario_expected():
    # Arrange - Set up test data and preconditions
    input_data = {...}

    # Act - Execute the code under test
    result = function_under_test(input_data)

    # Assert - Verify the expected outcome
    assert result == expected_value

Language-Specific Test Files

Workflow

1. Identify the behavior to implement
2. Write the test that verifies this behavior
3. Run the test - it MUST fail (red)
4. Verify failure reason - should fail because code doesn't exist yet

Commands

# Set phase to RED
bash scripts/tdd-enforcer.sh phase red

# Check current phase
bash scripts/tdd-enforcer.sh phase

# Run tests (expect failure)
bash scripts/tdd-enforcer.sh run <file>

After Red Phase

Once your test is written and failing for the right reason:

# Move to GREEN phase
bash scripts/tdd-enforcer.sh phase green

Then write the minimal implementation to make the test pass.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Writing implementation before tests
• Writing tests that pass immediately (trivial tests)
• Testing multiple behaviors in one test
• Vague test names like test_user or test_1