Bug in Debug.AssertRef erenceEquals?

[=?Utf-8?B?am1hZ2FyYW0=?=]

Why does the call to Debug.AssertRef erenceEquals not raise a UnitTesting
exception but the call to Assert.IsTrue does? This inconsistency
(Assert.Referen ceEquals returns a bool and Assert.IsTrue returns a void and
throws) is dangerous because your unit tests may pass but in actuality they
fail.

class TestClass { }
TestClass a = new TestClass();
TestClass b = new TestClass();
Assert.Referenc eEquals(a, b);
Assert.IsTrue(o bject.Reference Equals(a, b));

[Jeroen Mostert]

jmagaram wrote:

Why does the call to Debug.AssertRef erenceEquals not raise a UnitTesting
exception but the call to Assert.IsTrue does?

There's no method called Debug.AssertRef erenceEquals(). I assume you mean
Assert.Referenc eEquals(). That method doesn't really exist either, see below.

This inconsistency
(Assert.Referen ceEquals returns a bool and Assert.IsTrue returns a void and
throws) is dangerous because your unit tests may pass but in actuality they
fail.

It's unfortunately an unavoidable way of how C# works.

class TestClass { }
TestClass a = new TestClass();
TestClass b = new TestClass();
Assert.Referenc eEquals(a, b);

The problem here is basically that the language allows calling static
methods through derived classes, which is confusing. This is the same thing
as calling Object.Referenc eEquals(), so it's no wonder it would return a
bool. Viewed this way, every class has a .ReferenceEqual s() method.

Assert.IsTrue(o bject.Reference Equals(a, b));

Use Assert.AreSame( ) instead.

--
J.