Question

Is there a simple (Attribute-driven) way to have the following test fail on the message of the exception.

[TestMethod()]
[ExpectedException(typeof(ArgumentException))]
public void ExceptionTestTest()
{
    throw new ArgumentException("BBB");
}

I would Like to have the test pass if the message in the exception is BBB , but fail if it is anything else. I looked at the second parameter of the ExpectedException attribute, but that is only a message to display in the test report if the Exception type is different.

I know I can try {} catch {} the exception an then assert that the message IsEqual to the message, but that feels clunky.

PS. I’m using the built in Unit testing of Visual Studio 2008 (pro)

Answer 1

The built-in stuff in Visual Studio is poor. Take a look at NUnit. It’s loads more sophisticated, has syntax helpers that make it easier to specific Asserts, can be run as part of your debugging or stand-alone, has a console runner as well as the UI and so on. I’ve been using it for years – it’s the business. The Exception message options give flavour of how sophisticated it is:

public enum MessageMatch
{
    /// Expect an exact match
    Exact,  
    /// Expect a message containing the parameter string
    Contains,
    /// Match the regular expression provided as a parameter
    Regex,
    /// Expect a message starting with the parameter string
    StartsWith
}

Don’t be put off: it is sophisticated but it’s not complicated – it’s very easy to get working.