When working with Python, or any programming language, there is a lot that can go wrong with our code. There are syntax errors and exceptions, but there are also mistakes in the program logic which cause it to behave in unexpected ways.

For these reasons, testing is crucial to creating quality software. The goal of testing isn’t just to find bugs but to find them quickly. Leaving bugs unfound and unresolved can lead to massive consequences in the real world. Take a look at some of the most infamous bugs that have ever occurred in software.

Don’t worry though - by following some common practices and using the tools built into Python, we can start creating quality tests in no time. To dive in, first, let’s talk about the different types of testing styles that exist.

The world of testing can generally be divided into two categories:

• Manual Testing:
  • With manual testing, a physical person interacts with software much as a user would. In fact, we have been manually testing our code any time we run it and observe the results!
• Automated Testing:
  • With automated testing, tests are performed with code. Generally, automated testing is faster and less prone to human error.

In this lesson, we’ll be diving into the world of testing. For most of the exercises, let’s imagine we’ve been hired to create tests for a new airline company called Small World Air. Before we start writing automated tests, let’s do some manual testing and see what kind of shape their software is in.