FizzBuzz Development in Eclipse

TASK & PURPOSE:
The task was to implement the FizzBuzz program: 

"A program that prints the numbers from 1 to 100. But for multiples of three print “Fizz” instead of the number and for the multiples of five print “Buzz”. For numbers which are multiples of both three and five print “FizzBuzz”."

For me this seemingly simple program was more than just an easy assignment, it was an exercise in using Java/Eclipse and an introduction into using JUnit. I decided to go about creating FizzBuzz using a test-driven development style, where the program is created through a series of small test case iterations. For each case, the code necessary to pass the test is implemented, and after all cases tested pass, the program becomes correct. This type of development style is really different for me as I usually go about things in the opposite way - the creation of code, then testing. Creating the FizzBuzz program was the perfect chance for me to try it out through the use of JUnit.

Using Eclipse again was a dream. I forgot how much it simplifies things and how much more efficient it makes programming on a whole. It took me around 15 minutes from the startup of the program to complete the FizzBuzz program. Although that might sound long for a small program like this, the actual code for FizzBuzz flowed swiftly and smoothly. What took the most time was setting up the test cases in JUnit. Since it was new technology for me, I inevitably ran into some problems. 

PROBLEMS:
The main problem I ran into while doing this was creating the program using the test case development style described earlier. I had a hard time linking the test class up to the FizzBuzz class. It would not recognize my getValue() function and it was confusing me.

SOLUTIONS:
I finally realized the simple solution to my problem was to use 'FizzBuzz.getValue()' instead of just 'getValue()'. This also brought upon another error that was fixed (using hints from eclipse!) by inserting 'import static org.junit.Assert.*;' Eclipse is wonderful.

CONCLUSION
For me doing this program was a nice little refresher into programming again in java. It also was really nice to go in and use the JUnit test case development in Eclipse. Although test-driven development is a bit overkill for a simple program like FizzBuzz, I can see how on a larger scale this development system could be really efficient. It would be easier to solve a large problem by first testing out and solving smaller problems. I like the simplicity of this. It seems like it would lead to less bugs and smoother overall development.

The creation of FizzBuzz has shown me that this class (ICS413) is going to be very practical and fun. I am excited to learn about tools that real software engineers use as well as concepts they use in creating software. I feel more motivated to learn about this sort of thing as it will make me a better programmer. Overall, I am looking forward to the class.

SOURCE CODE:
FizzBuzzTest.java


import static org.junit.Assert.*;
import org.junit.Test;

public class FizzBuzzTest {

@Test
public void testFB() {

assertEquals("Test 1", "1", FizzBuzz.getValue(1));
assertEquals("Test 3", "Fizz", FizzBuzz.getValue(3));
assertEquals("Test 5", "Buzz", FizzBuzz.getValue(5));
assertEquals("Test 15", "FizzBuzz", FizzBuzz.getValue(15));
assertEquals("Test 100", "Buzz", FizzBuzz.getValue(100));

}

}


FizzBuzz.java

/**
* A Simple program that runs through the numbers 1 - 100,
* printing either "Fizz" for multiples of 3, "Buzz" for
* multiples of 5, "FizzBuzz" for multiples of both, or just
* the number itself for all others.
*
* @author Tyler Wolff
*/

public class FizzBuzz {

public static String getValue(int iNum) {

if ((iNum % 3 == 0) && (iNum % 5 == 0)) {
return "FizzBuzz";
} else if (iNum % 3 == 0) {
return "Fizz";
} else if (iNum % 5 == 0) {
return "Buzz";
} else {
return String.valueOf(iNum);
}
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

for (int i = 1; i <= 100; i++) { System.out.println(getValue(i));
}

}

}