This is a complementary exercise to https://github.com/daverooneyca/tdd-metar, except that in this case the code was written without using a TDD approach, nor was it written initially with any unit tests.
The exercise is based on parsing and decoding aviation weather METAR data in Java. A typical METAR looks like this:
CYOW 081900Z 33007KT 15SM -RA SCT030TCU BKN100 BKN180 24\/22 A2984 RMK TCU4AC2AC1 SLP107 DENSITY ALT 1600FT
This is read as:
- Station: Ottawa Macdonald/Cartier Airport, ICAO code 'CYOW'
- Reporting Time: the day of the month 08, time in 'Zulu' or UTC 19:00
- Wind Velocity: 330 degrees at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Conditions: -RA, rain
- Clouds:
- Scattered, 3000 feet AGL (above ground level), towering cumulus (TCU)
- Broken, 10000 feet AGL
- Broken, 18000 feet AGL
- Temperature & Dewpoint: 24C and 22C, respectively
- Altimeter Setting: 29.84 inches of mercury
- Remarks: (not implementing them in this exercise)
The definitions and specifications used for the code are found in MANOBS Manual of Surface Weather Observations: aviation routine weather report from Environment Canada.
The master branch contains the final version of the Java code used in the exercise. Interim steps are contained in the various branches.
The overall goals of the exercise were:
- to illustrate the differences in code built using a non-TDD approach
- to highlight that it's actually slower to code this way than using TDD once you have the hang of it