[erlang-questions] How to code against an interface rather than an implementation?

[Loïc Hoguin]

On 08/09/2013 03:58 PM, Chris King wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 9, 2013 at 8:58 AM, Loïc Hoguin <essen@REDACTED> wrote:
>> Whether Dialyzer can do that or not is a bit irrelevant, as this kind of
>> error is quickly apparent when your tests immediately fail.
>
> Eh, that argument can apply to most things a static analyzer checks.
> The point of a static analyzer is to catch these kinds of errors
> without having to write formal tests.

No.

A static analyzer cannot be used in place of tests. They're 
complementary. It's even more true in a dynamic language like Erlang 
where the static analyzer power is limited, *but* applies to all 
languages regardless.

As an example that comes immediately to mind, heard from discussions, in 
this case about Haskell, the static analyzer can tell you the program is 
correct, but when you test it it blows up because it ran out of memory.

If your program passes static analyzing, that's great! But you still 
have no idea if the program will actually work, because you didn't test it.

The reverse example is of course the static analyzer telling you about 
things you didn't think of testing.

So use both Dialyzer *and* tests if you want solid programs. Not one or 
the other.

-- 
Loïc Hoguin
Erlang Cowboy
Nine Nines
http://ninenines.eu