EclEmma

Emma is a coverage tool.

EclEmma is an Eclipse plugin that generates Emma coverage. It installs via an update site. It executes via the Run Dialog, so any existing run configuration can be easily “coveraged” (including RCP JUnit tests). An additional coverage tab in the Run Dialog allows you to select which packages will be instrumented.

Results are shown graphically in an Eclipse view, grouped by packages. The view allows you to drill into classes and into methods, showing the coverage of each level along the way. Double-clicking in the view brings up the source code, which is color coded to represent which lines were covered.

This is very useful during the personal development process, as individuals can selectively run unit tests to check for coverage in the related modules they are working with. The results are interactive and allows the developer to quickly see which areas require coverage improvement. This is much easier than waiting and going through a Continuous Integration report later (if any). In fact, I have successfully employed this approach to identify areas lacking coverage, and discovering bugs after having test cases for those areas identified.

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