Test Your Max Software Like We Do

Visit our Github page to download or fork the Max-Test package.

It takes a special kind of nerd to appreciate certain aspects of software development. So it is with frameworks and methodologies for structured software testing. But really, who doesn't want their Max systems to be more reliable, easier to change, and easier to maintain?

The max-test package is one tool in our quiver that helps to achieve these goals, and now we get to share it with the world. This package makes it possible for mere mortals to approach the topic of structured and/or automated testing by creating patchers. There is no need for arcane or complex programming. Just make a patcher and decorate it with a few new objects.

A test patcher is a declaration of what you expect Max to do. When you open the patcher it is immediately obvious what the expectations are, and if the expectations are met. That makes a test patcher a powerful way to communicate with each other. As an engineer working on the software, if a bug comes to me in test patcher form I am likely to solve the problem much more quickly than if I receive the report in any other form.

One success story is the Jamoma project. The Jamoma project has been using automated testing with Max patchers for several years and even published academic papers about the process. Having a thorough suite of tests in target areas has allowed for radical changes to be made while knowing that nothing has been accidentally broken in the process.

You can get the max-test package from Github