dry - Is duplicated code more tolerable in unit tests?

Question

I ruined several unit tests some time ago when I went through and refactored them to make them more DRY--the intent of each test was no longer clear. It seems there is a trade-off between tests' readability and maintainability. If I leave duplicated code in unit tests, they're more readable, but then if I change the SUT, I'll have to track down and change each copy of the duplicated code.

Do you agree that this trade-off exists? If so, do you prefer your tests to be readable, or maintainable?

Answer 1

Readability is more important for tests. If a test fails, you want the problem to be obvious. The developer shouldn't have to wade through a lot of heavily factored test code to determine exactly what failed. You don't want your test code to become so complex that you need to write unit-test-tests.

However, eliminating duplication is usually a good thing, as long as it doesn't obscure anything, and eliminating the duplication in your tests may lead to a better API. Just make sure you don't go past the point of diminishing returns.