Assignment #2: Tech Jobs (Object-Oriented Edition)

Introduction

Your apprenticeship at LaunchCode is going well! Only a few weeks in and you’re regularly making contributions to code that will eventually be used by all LaunchCode staff.

Your last task was to get the prototype Tech Jobs app in good shape. Now it’s time to advance the underlying structure of the program.

Your mentor on this project is Sally, one of the developers at LaunchCode. She regularly supports coders who are just getting started with their careers.

After seeing your strong work with your last project, Blake reported that you performed well and learned quickly. Because of your success, he and Sally feel comfortable assigning you to a set of tasks that are a notch up in difficulty.

Sally completed some initial work on the project and left you some TODOs.

Learning Objectives

In this project, you’ll show that you can:

1. Read and understand code written by others.
2. Work with objects to encapsulate data and methods.
3. Use the generator in Visual Studio to automate routine tasks.
4. Use unit testing and Test-Driven-Development (TDD) to verify and create new methods.
5. Apply the concept of inheritance to streamline your classes (the DRY idea—Don’t Repeat Yourself).

Get the Starter Code

1. In Canvas, Graded Assignment #2: TechJobs (Object-Oriented Edition) contains a GitHub Classroom assignment invitation link and then set up the project in Visual Studio. Refer back to the GitHub Classroom instructions from Assignment #0: Hello, World! for details.
2. Open Visual Studio.
3. If the app opens up to an existing project, close it.
4. From the Visual Studio dialog box, open your copy of the starter code.

TechJobs (Object-Oriented Edition)

Sally has gotten the ball rolling by adding a Job class, along with classes to represent the individual properties of a job: Employer, Location, PositionType, and CoreCompetency. She completed the Employer class, and she left you the task of filling in the others.

As the team gets closer to deploying the app—and abandoning the test data they’ve been using—they’ll want an easy way to add and remove jobs via a user interface. Before that, however, you need to finish shifting the project to an object-oriented design.

Why Change to Object-Oriented?

Working with data stored as strings in dictionaries and lists isn’t a good long-term solution, for reasons that we point out below.

The Job class introduces an object-oriented design to the application. It contains all of the properties you used in the console version of TechJobs: Name, EmployerName, EmployerLocation, JobType, JobCoreCompetency. There’s also an Id property which will be used to uniquely identify Job objects.

The main difference between the object representation of a job and the string-based representation is that the values of EmployerName, EmployerLocation, and the other non-ID properties are no longer strings. Instead, they are classes of their own.

Job Members

Open the Job class file. You’ll see the following properties (among other class members):

public string Name { get; set; }
public Employer EmployerName { get; set; }
public Location EmployerLocation { get; set; }
public PositionType JobType { get; set; }
public CoreCompetency JobCoreCompetency { get; set; }

Of these, only Name is a string. Sally created classes to represent each of the other properties. These classes—Employer, Location, CoreCompetency, PositionType—have members to hold values and IDs.

So, for example, if you had a Job instance, you could get the name of the employer this way:

// job is an instance of Job
string employerName = job.EmployerName.Value;

Additionally, the ToString() method of the Employer class is set up to return whatever the value field holds. Thus, using one of these objects in another string context like Console.WriteLine will print the data stored in value.

// Prints the name of the employer
Console.WriteLine(job.EmployerName);

Why do we go to all of this trouble when we could store this job-related data as strings? There are a couple of reasons.

Eliminate Duplication of Data

In our app, we have multiple jobs that have the same value in a given field. For example, there are multiple jobs with position type “Web - Full Stack”, and each employer may list several jobs. If we store the values of these fields as strings directly within each Job object, that data would be repeated in several places across the application.

By using objects, we can have a single PositionType object with value “Web - Full Stack”. Each job that wants to use that position type holds onto a reference to the given object. Similarly, we can have one Employer object for each employer.

Aside from reducing the amount of raw data / memory that the application uses, this will allow data to be updated more easily and properly. If we need to change the name of an employer (e.g. due to a typo or a name change at the company), we can change it in one place, the single Employer object that represents that company.

As you continue to work on the assignment, you will find further ways to streamline the application.

Enable Extension

While the four Job properties represented by objects will primarily be used for their string values, it’s easy to imagine adding new properties to address future needs.

For example, it would be useful for an Employer object to have an address, a primary contact, and a list of jobs available at that employer.

For a Location object, useful information includes a list of zip codes associated with that location, in order to determine the city and state for an employer or job.

If we were to store these four new properties as strings within the Job class, extending and modifying this behavior would be much more complicated and difficult moving forward.

Your Assignment

Running the Auto-grading Tests

Before diving into your tasks, review Assignment #0: Hello, World! for details on running the auto-grading tests for this assignment.

This assignment has many more tests than the previous two, so we’ve organized them into separate files. The tests are visible in the Project’s Solution, but they won’t run from there.

Each of the one test files, TestTaskX, contains the tests to grade one of the six tasks outlined in below (there’s no coding work for your first task, so there is no TestTask1).

In order to run any of the tests, we need to use Visual Studio’s Test Explorer. Open Test Explorer, but do NOT Run All Tests at this time. Visual Studio will not be able to run many of these tests at this time because you have not any written code they are designed to test. It will only throw errors. If you did run ALL the tests, stop the tests by clicking on the red square in Test Explorer.

Mac Users: To open Test Explorer, select Run Unit Tests which can be found at the very bottom of the Run menu. This will try to run all the tests, but you can stop them by clicking on the red square at the top of the test panel.

This will open your Test Explorer in a new panel and create a tab on the right side of Visual Studio. If Test Explorer is closed, the tab on the right called Tests will reopen it for you.

Windows Users: Select the Test (1) menu. Test Explorer (3) can be found at the bottom of the menu. Visual Studio will open your Test Explorer in a new panel. Recommend pinning that panel into Visual Studio. If Test Explorer closes, you can reopen it using the Test menu and selecting Test Explorer (3). We will not be using Run All Tests (2) at this time.

Inside Test Explorer, you should see TestTaskX. Each TestTaskX contains multiple tests. Select TestTask2 tests. You should see 8 tests listed by their names. These are all of the tests that will be run after you complete Task 2 in the instructions below.

Note

Upon initial examination of the starter code, you may notice that there ONLY 2 TestTaskXs in the Test Explorer and 6 TestTaskXs in the Solution Explorer.

TestTask4, TestTask5, and TestTask6 have all been commented out so that you can run the auto-grading unit tests for tasks 2-3.

To run a single group of tests, you will right-click on the name of the Task. For example, if you finish Task 5, right-click on TestTask5 and select Run from the pop-up menu.

When you start on one of the tasks below, begin by running only the tests associated with that task. As you work on the components of the given tasks, continually re-run the tests to see the failing tests gradually turn to passing. When all tests within the file pass, you’re ready to move onto the next task. As you expand your codebase, none of your earlier tests should fail.

Your Tasks

The list below provides a general overview of your assigned tasks. Specific details for each part appear in the following sections, so be sure to read them carefully as you solve each problem.

1. Review Sally’s code in the Employer class to learn how to assign a unique ID.
2. Add properties and custom methods as needed to the Location, CoreCompetency, and PositionType classes.
3. Complete the Job class using what you learned in steps 1 and 2.
4. Use unit testing to verify the constructors and Equals() methods for the Job class.
5. Use TDD to design and code a custom ToString() method for the Job class.
6. Use inheritance to DRY the code within Employer, Location, CoreCompetency, and PositionType.

Task 1: Explore the Employer Class

Open the Employer file in Visual Studio and examine the code. In addition to the three members—nextId, Id, and Value—the class includes some methods like ToString() and Equals().

You can refer to these examples as you fill in the missing pieces in the other classes, but for now let’s take a closer look at the constructors.

Assign a Unique ID

One neat trick we can use is to automatically assign each new object a unique ID number.

Example

Examine the two constructors in Employer.cs:

public class Employer {
   public int Id { get; }
   private static int nextId = 1;
   public string Value { get; set; }

   public Employer ()
   {
      Id = nextId;
      nextId++;
   }

   public Employer (string value) : this()
   {
      Value = value;
   }

   // Additional methods omitted from this code block
}

1. Line 3 declares the field nextId. Since it is static, its changing value is NOT stored within any Employer object.
2. The first constructor (lines 6 - 10) accepts no arguments and assigns the value of nextId to the id field. It then increments nextId. Thus, every new Employer object will get a different ID number.
3. The second constructor (lines 12 - 15) assigns the value field. It ALSO initializes id for the object by calling the first constructor statement with the : this() syntax. Including : this() in any Employer constructor makes initializing id a default behavior.

Tip

By adding : this() to the signature of the second Employer constructor, we are using a new technique called constructor chaining. For more info on how this chaining technique works, check out this blog post!

Task 2: Complete the Support Classes

Sally needs you to build up the remaining classes. In each case, refer to the Employer class for hints on how to structure your code.

Warning

Due to the fact that this code is being auto-graded as you work through it, make sure that you use any and all names for classes, variables, methods, etc provided to you in these directions.

The Location Class

Open the Location.cs file. Note that the methods for this class are done, as is the constructor for initializing the Id property.

Sally left you a TODO comment with instructions for coding a second constructor:

1. It should call the first constructor to initialize the id field.
2. It must also initialize the value field for a new Location object.

The CoreCompetency Class

Open the class file. In this case, the constructors and custom methods are ready. Sally needs you to change the id and value fields to auto-implemented properties, but NOT nextId.

The PositionType Class

Open the class file. This time the constructors are done. Sally’s comments direct you to where you need to add the custom methods.

1. Code a ToString() method that just returns the value of a PositionType object.
2. Use the Generate option again to add the Equals() and GetHashCode() methods. Refer to the final section of the “Classes and Objects, Part 2” chapter if you need a quick review.
3. Assume that two PositionType objects are equal when their id fields match.

Run Your Tests

Run your TestTask2 unit tests. Refactor your code as needed. Do not move onto Task 3 until you have passed all of Task 2’s auto-grading unit tests.

Tip

Now would be a good time to save, commit, and push your work up to GitHub.

Task 3: Complete the Job Class

Note

The starter code in the Job class has been commented out for the rest of the tests to run.

Remove the /* in line 6 and */ in line 20.

Warning

Due to the fact that this code is being auto-graded as you work through it, make sure that you use any and all names for classes, variables, methods, etc provided to you in these directions.

Now open the Job file. OOF! There are a lot of fields and properties declared and not much else.

1. Code a constructor to initialize the id field with a unique value. This constructor should take no parameters.
2. Code a second constructor that takes 5 parameters and assigns values to name, employerName, employerLocation, jobType, and jobCoreCompetency. Also, this constructor should call the first in order to initialize the id field.
3. Generate the Equals() and GetHashCode() methods. Consider two Job objects equal when their id fields match.

Run Your Tests

Run your TestTask3 unit tests. Refactor your code as needed. Do not move onto Task 4 until you have passed all of Task 3’s auto-grading unit tests.

Tip

Save, commit, and push your work to GitHub.

Task 4: Use Unit Testing to Verify Parts of the Job Class

Note

All of the tests in TestTask4 are commented out right now.

Remove the /* in line 1 and */ in line 155 to run the TestTask4 tests.

Warning

Due to the fact that this code is being auto-graded as you work through it, make sure that you use any and all names for classes, variables, methods, etc provided to you in these directions.

The solution currently contains a testing project called TechJobsTests. If you open this project, you will find a class called JobTests.cs. You will need to add the appropriate dependency to TechJobsTests to test the classes in the TechJobsOO project. The JobTests.cs file will hold all of the tests for the Job class.

Test the Empty Constructor

Each Job object should contain a unique ID number, and these should also be sequential integers.

1. In JobTests, define a test called TestSettingJobId.

2. Create two Job objects using the empty constructor. Use Assert.AreEqual, Assert.IsTrue, or Assert.IsFalse to test that the ID values for the two objects are NOT the same and differ by 1.

3. Run the test to verify that your Job() constructor correctly assigns ID numbers.

4. If the test doesn’t pass, what should be your first thought?

   1. “I need to fix the unit test.”
   2. “I need to fix my Job() constructor code.”

   Warning

   The answer is NOT “a”.

   Your test code might be incorrect, but that should not be your FIRST thought. TDD begins with writing tests for desired behaviors. If the tests fail, that indicates errors in the methods trying to produce the behavior rather than in the tests that define that behavior.

Test the Full Constructor

Each Job object should contain six properties—Id, Name, EmployerName, EmployerLocation, JobType, and JobCoreCompetency.

1. In JobTest, define a test called TestJobConstructorSetsAllFields.
2. Declare and initialize a new Job object with the following data: "Product tester" for Name, "ACME" for EmployerName, "Desert" for JobLocation, "Quality control" for JobType, and "Persistence" for JobCoreCompetency.
3. Use Assert statements to test that the constructor correctly assigns the value of each field.

Test the Equals() Method

Two Job objects are considered equal if they have the same id value, even if one or more of the other fields differ. Similarly, the two objects are NOT equal if their id values differ, even if all the other fields are identical.

1. In JobTest, define a test called TestJobsForEquality.
2. Generate two Job objects that have identical field values EXCEPT for id. Test that Equals() returns false.

It might seem logical to follow up the false case by testing to make sure that Equals() returns true when two objects have the same ID. However, the positive test is irrelevant in this case.

The way you build your Job class, each id field gets assigned a unique value, and the class does not contain a setter for the id field. You also verified that each new object gets a different ID when you tested the constructors. Without modifying the constructors or adding a setter, there is no scenario in which two different jobs will have the same ID number. Thus, we can skip the test for this condition.

Run Your Tests

Run your TestTask4 unit tests. Refactor your code as needed. Do not move onto Task 5 until you have passed all of Task 4’s auto-grading unit tests.

Tip

Time to save, commit, and push your work to GitHub again.

Task 5: Use TDD to Build The ToString() Method

Note

This tests in TestTask5 are commented out right now.

Remove the /* in line 1 and */ in line 167 to run the TestTask5 tests.

Warning

Due to the fact that this code is being auto-graded as you work through it, make sure that you use any and all names for classes, variables, methods, etc provided to you in these directions.

To display the data for a particular Job object, you need to implement a custom ToString() method. Rather than creating this method and then testing it, you will flip that process using TDD.

Create First Test for ToString()

Before writing your first test, consider how we want the method to behave:

1. When passed a Job object, it should return a string that contains a blank line before and after the job information.

2. The string should contain a label for each field, followed by the data stored in that field. Each field should be on its own line.

   ID:  _______
   Name: _______
   Employer: _______
   Location: _______
   Position Type: _______
   Core Competency: _______
   

3. If a field is empty, the method should add, “Data not available” after the label.

4. (Bonus) If a Job object ONLY contains data for the id field, the method should return, “OOPS! This job does not seem to exist.”

We will need three tests to test our ToString method.

Test 1: TestToStringStartsAndEndsWithNewLine

In JobTests, add a new test called TestToStringStartsAndEndsWithNewLine to check the first requirement (item 1 in the above list), then run that test (it should fail).

Note

When testing the TestToStringStartsAndEndsWithNewLine, do NOT test this one individually or it will fail. You need to test this one by running all TestTask5 tests or the Id numbers will cause a failure.

Woo hoo! Failure is what we want here! Now you get to fix that.

Code ToString() to Pass Test 1

In the Job class, create a ToString() method that passes the first test. Since the test only checks if the returned string starts and ends with a blank line, make that happen.

Tip

Do NOT add anything beyond what is needed to make the test pass. You will add the remaining behaviors for ToString() as you code each new test.

Test 2: TestToStringContainsCorrectLabelsAndData

1. Code a new test for the second required behavior, then run the tests to make sure the new one fails. Call this test TestToStringContainsCorrectLabelsAndData.
2. Modify ToString() to make the new test pass. Also, make sure that your updates still pass all of the old tests.
3. Continue this test-refactor cycle until all of the behaviors we want for ToString() work. Remember to add only ONE new test at a time.

Test 3: TestToStringHandlesEmptyField

1. Code your final test for the last required behavior, then run the tests to make sure the new one fails. Call this test TestToStringHandlesEmptyField.
2. Modify ToString() to make the new test pass. Also make sure that your updates still pass all the old tests.

Cool! Your Job class is now complete and operates as desired.

Run Your Tests

Run your TestTask5 unit tests. Refactor your code as needed. Do not move onto Task 6 until you have passed all of Task 5’s auto-grading unit tests.

And don’t forget to add, commit and push the latest version of your code.

Task 6: Refactor to DRY the Support Classes

Note

The tests in TestTask6 are commented out right now.

Remove the /* in line 1 and */ in line 96 to run all of the TestTask6 tests.

Warning

Due to the fact that this code is being auto-graded as you work through it, make sure that you use any and all names for classes, variables, methods, etc provided to you in these directions.

Review the code in the Employer, Location, CoreCompetency, and PositionType classes. What similarities do you see?

There is a fair amount of repetition between the classes. As a good coder, anytime you find yourself adding identical code in multiple locations you should consider how to streamline the process.

DRY = “Don’t Repeat Yourself”.

Create a Base Class

Let’s move all of the repeated code into a separate class. We will then have Employer, Location, CoreCompetency, and PositionType inherit this common code.

1. Create a new class called JobField.
2. Consider the following questions to help you decide what code to put in the JobField class:
   1. What fields do ALL FOUR of the classes have in common?
   2. Which constructors are the same in ALL FOUR classes?
   3. Which custom methods are identical in ALL of the classes?
3. In JobField, declare each of the common class members.
4. Code the constructors.
5. Add in any inherited method overrides.
6. Finally, to prevent the creation of a JobField object, make this class abstract.

Extend JobField into Employer

Now that you have the common code located in the JobField file, we can modify the other classes to reference this shared code. Let’s begin with Employer.

1. Modify line 5 to extend the JobField class into Employer.

2. Next, remove any code in Employer that matches code from JobField (e.g. the Id and Value properties and the nextId field are shared).

3. Remove any of the methods that are identical.

4. The empty constructor is shared, but not the second. Replace the two constructors with the following:

   public Employer(string value) : base(value)
   {
   }
   

5. Rerun your unit tests to verify your refactored code.

Finish DRYing Your Code

1. Repeat the process above for the Location, CoreCompetency, and PositionType classes.
2. Rerun your unit tests to verify that your classes and methods still work.

Run Your Tests

Run your TestTask6 unit tests. Refactor your code as needed. This is the last set of tests! Congrats! Submit your assignment once you have passed all of Task 6’s auto-graded unit tests.

Tip

You know you need to do this, but here is the reminder anyway. Save, commit, and push your work to GitHub.

Sanity Check

Once you finish all of the tasks outlined above, all that remains is to check the console display.

Sally has provided some commented-out code in TechJobs.cs that prints out a small list of Job objects. Go ahead and activate this code and run it. Properly done, your output should look something like:

ID: 1
Name: Product tester
Employer: ACME
Location: Desert
Position Type: Quality control
Core Competency: Persistence


ID: 2
Name: Web Developer
Employer: LaunchCode
Location: St. Louis
Position Type: Front-end developer
Core Competency: JavaScript


ID: 3
Name: Ice cream tester
Employer: Data not available
Location: Home
Position Type: UX
Core Competency: Tasting ability

Excellent! You successfully shifted the old console app into a more useful object oriented configuration.

Now that the new structure is ready, another team member can refactor the import and display methods from the previous assignment to use the new classes. Once these are ready, our team will refine the search features and move the app online to provide a better user interface.

How to Submit

To turn in your assignment and get credit, follow the submission instructions.