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| <TITLE>Tcases: The Complete Guide</TITLE> |
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| <DIV class="page"> |
| <DIV class="title"> |
| <IMG src="cornutum-logo.png"/> |
| <SPAN class="title"> Tcases: The Complete Guide </SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="subtitle">Version 4.0.1 (January 16, 2023)</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="subtitle">© 2012-2023 Cornutum Project</SPAN> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <H2>Contents</H2> |
| <UL> |
| <LI> <A href="#intro"> Introduction </A> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#what">What Does It Do?</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#how">How Does It Work?</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#why">Why Tcases?</A></LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="#start"> Getting Started </A> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#about">About This Guide</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#maven">Installing The Tcases Maven Plugin</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#install">Installing The Tcases Distribution</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#json">XML or JSON?</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#run">Running From the Command Line</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#run-ant">Running With Ant</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#results">Understanding Tcases Results</A></LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI> |
| <LI><A href="#input">Modeling The Input Space</A> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#exampleFind">An Example: The find Command</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#functions">Defining System Functions</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#vars">Defining Input Variables</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#values">Defining Input Values</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#varSets">Defining Variable Sets</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#constraints">Defining Constraints: Properties and Conditions</A> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#properties">Value properties</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#valueConditions">Value conditions</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#failureValues">Failure values are different!</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#varConditions">Variable conditions</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#complexConditions">Complex conditions</A></LI> |
| <LI> <A href="#cardinalityConditions"> Cardinality conditions </A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#conditionTips">But be careful!</A></LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI> |
| <LI><A href="#coverage">Defining Input Coverage</A> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#combinations">Combinatorial Testing Basics</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#failureCoverage">Failure Cases Are Different! </A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#defaultCoverage">Default Coverage</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#higherCoverage">Defining Higher Coverage</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#multiCoverage">Defining Multiple Levels Of Coverage</A></LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI> |
| <LI><A href="#project">Managing A Tcases Project</A> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#files">Managing Project Files</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#reuse">Reusing Previous Test Cases</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#random">Mix It Up: Random Combinations</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#reduce">Reducing Test Cases: A Random Walk</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#once">Avoiding Unneeded Combinations</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#simpleGenDef">Simple Generator Definitions</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#trouble">Troubleshooting FAQs</A></LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI> |
| <LI><A href="#transform">Transforming Test Cases</A> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#html">Creating An HTML Report</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#junit">Creating JUnit/TestNG Tests</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#xslt">Using XSLT Transforms</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#annotations">Using Output Annotations</A></LI> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><A href="#annotationExample">Example: Generating test code</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#annotationHow">How it works</A></LI> |
| <LI><A href="#annotationProperties">Property annotations</A></LI> |
| </UL> |
| </UL> |
| </LI> |
| <LI><A href="#reference">Further Reference</A></LI> |
| </UL> |
|
|
| <H2><A name="intro">Introduction</A></H2> |
| <H3><A name="what">What Does It Do?</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| Tcases is a tool for designing tests. It doesn't matter what kind of system you are |
| testing. Nor does it matter what level of the system you are testing — unit, subsystem, |
| or full system. You can use Tcases to design your tests in any of these situations. With |
| Tcases, you define the input space for your system-under-test and the level of coverage that |
| you want. Then Tcases generates a minimal set of test cases that meets your requirements. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Tcases is primarily a tool |
| for <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-box_testing">black-box test design</A>. For |
| such tests, the concept of "coverage" is different from structural testing criteria such as |
| line coverage, branch coverage, etc. Instead, Tcases is guided by coverage of the input |
| space of your system. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| What is the "input space" of the system? The simplest way to look at |
| it is this: the set of all (combinations of) input values that could possibly be |
| applied. Easy to say, but hard to do! For all but the simplest systems, such a set is |
| enormous, perhaps even infinite. You could never afford to build and run all those test |
| cases. Instead, you have to select test cases from a small sample of the input space. But |
| how? If your sample is too big, you'll run out of time before you finish. But if your |
| sample is too small — or, worse, if it's the <EM>wrong</EM> subset — you'll miss lots |
| of defects. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| That is the test design problem: given a limited amount of testing effort, how can you |
| minimize the risk of defects? And Tcases is the tool for the job. Tcases gives you a way to |
| define the input space for your system in a form that is concise but comprehensive. Then Tcases |
| allows you to control the number of test cases in your sample subset by specifying the level |
| of coverage you want. You can start with a basic level of coverage, and Tcases will generate |
| a small set of test cases that touches every significant element of the input space. Then |
| you can improve your tests by selectively adding coverage in specific high-risk areas. For |
| example, you can specify <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-pairs_testing">pairwise |
| coverage</A> or higher-order combinations of selected input variables. |
| </P> |
|
|
|
|
| <H3><A name="how">How Does It Work?</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| First, you create a <A href="#systemInputDef">system input definition</A>, a document |
| that defines your system as a set of <A href="#functionInputDef">functions</A>. For each |
| system function, the system input definition defines the <A href="#varDef">variables</A> |
| that characterize the function input space. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Then, you can create a <A href="#genDef">generator definition</A>. That's another |
| document that defines the coverage you want for each system function. The generator |
| definition is optional. You can skip this step and still get a basic level of coverage. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Finally, you run Tcases. Tcases is a Java program that you can run from the command line or |
| from your favorite IDE. Tcases comes with built-in support for running using a shell |
| script or an <SPAN class="code">ant</SPAN> target. You can also run Tcases with Maven |
| using |
| the <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/docs/tcases-maven-plugin/index.html">Tcases |
| Maven Plugin</A>. Using your input definition and your generator definition, Tcases |
| generates a <A href="#systemTestDef">system test definition</A>. The system test |
| definition is a document that lists, for each system function, a set of test cases |
| that provides the specified level of coverage. Each test case defines a specific value for |
| every function input variable. Tcases generates not only valid input values that define |
| successful test cases but also invalid values for the tests cases that are needed to verify |
| expected error handling. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Of course, the system test definition is not something you can execute directly. But it |
| follows a well-defined schema, which means you can use a variety of XML transformation tools to |
| convert it into a form that is suitable for testing your system. For example, Tcases comes with a |
| built-in transformer that converts an XML system test definition into a Java source code template |
| for a <A href="#junit">JUnit or TestNG test class</A>. |
| You can also automatically transform a system test definition into a simple <A href="#html">HTML report</A>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="why">Why Tcases?</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| <UL> |
| <LI><B>If you are defining acceptance for a new story...</B> |
| <P> |
| Tcases gives you a powerful technique for crystallizing your understanding of a new story: |
| <A href="#input">modeling the input space</A>. This is especially helpful if you are following a |
| <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior_Driven_Development">behavior-driven |
| development (BDD)</A> process. BDD captures the intended system behavior using a few |
| key examples, each of which is expressed in the form of a test case. BDD examples |
| naturally identify important system input variables. Input modeling then leads to a |
| deeper and broader understanding of the inputs that the system must handle. Quickly |
| creating a high-level <A href="#input">system input definition</A> is a great way to |
| check if you've identified all the examples you need. |
| </P> |
| </LI> |
| <P/> |
| <LI><B>If you are building unit tests...</B> |
| <P> |
| If you are practicing <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test-driven_development">test-driven development |
| (TDD)</A>, congratulations! — you are building unit tests to guide the design of your system. But when it |
| comes to actually <EM>testing</EM> your system — that is, systematically seeking out and removing every |
| defect — your TDD unit tests are almost certainly insufficient. Each TDD unit test is usually built to |
| demonstrate a single specific feature of the system. But a large number of defects (perhaps more than 50%) are |
| caused by interactions among multiple features. (For an interesting discussion of the interactions that cause |
| software failures, see <A href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=8960929">this research study<A>). Even |
| if you've made the effort to create unit tests that produce 100% code coverage, you are still likely to miss |
| many of those interactions between explicit unit inputs and implicit inputs such as internal state variables. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Instead, you need a more powerful approach — like Tcases. By generating test cases from |
| a <A href="#input">complete model of all input variables</A>, you can systematically cover interactions |
| among inputs to a specified degree. And you can do it with a small set of unit tests, typically not much more |
| than you would have done with TDD. |
| </P> |
| </LI> |
| <P/> |
| <LI><B>If you are building integration tests or system tests...</B> |
| <P> |
| Unit tests are not enough to find all of the defects in your system. You also need integration tests and even |
| full system tests. But how many of them do you need? You certainly don't need to replicate the same test cases already |
| covered by your unit tests. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| With these higher-level tests, the game has changed. There is a new input space with |
| new dimensions of variation to consider. So you can use Tcases to <A href="#input">model these inputs</A> and |
| generate new test cases that cover the interactions among them. For example, system tests often need to |
| consider variations in the settings of key deployment configuration parameters. Tcases gives you a way to gain |
| confidence about the interactions among multiple configuration parameters with a small number of test cases. |
| </P> |
| </LI> |
| <P/> |
| </UL> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H2><A name="start">Getting Started</A></H2> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="about">About This Guide</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| This guide explains everything about how Tcases works. And when it comes to examples, |
| this guide shows how to do things when running Tcases as a shell command. If you run Tcases |
| using |
| the <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/docs/tcases-maven-plugin/index.html">Tcases |
| Maven Plugin</A>, the command line details will be slightly different, but all of the |
| concepts remain the same. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="maven">Installing The Tcases Maven Plugin</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| To get dependency info for the Tcases Maven Plugin, visit the |
| plugin <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/docs/tcases-maven-plugin/dependency-info.html">documentation |
| site</A>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="install">Installing The Tcases Distribution</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| To get the command line version of Tcases, download the Tcases binary distribution file from |
| the Maven Central Repository, using the following procedure. |
| </P> |
| <OL> |
| <LI> Visit the <A href="https://search.maven.org/search?q=tcases-shell">Central Repository search page</A>. </LI><P/> |
| <LI> Search for "tcases-shell".</LI><P/> |
| <LI> You will see the most recent release of "tcases-shell". (To see all N previous versions, select "(N)" under "Latest Version".).</LI><P/> |
| <LI> Use the downward arrow button to select the type of file you want to download. Choose |
| either as a ZIP file or a compressed <SPAN class="code">tar</SPAN> file (<SPAN class="code">tar.gz</SPAN>).</LI> |
| </OL> |
| <P> |
| Extract the contents of the distribution file to any |
| directory you like — this is now your <EM>"Tcases home directory"</EM>. Unpacking the distribution file will |
| create a <EM>"Tcases release directory"</EM> — a subdirectory of the |
| form <SPAN class="code">tcases-<I>m</I>.<I>n</I>.<I>r</I></SPAN> — that contains all |
| the files for this release of Tcases. The release directory contains the following subdirectories. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <UL> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">bin</SPAN>: Executable shell scripts used to run Tcases </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">docs</SPAN>: User guide, examples, and Javadoc </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">lib</SPAN>: All JAR files needed to run Tcases </LI><P/> |
| </UL> |
|
|
| <P> |
| One more step and you're ready to go: add the path to the <SPAN class="code">bin</SPAN> subdirectory to the |
| <SPAN class="code">PATH</SPAN> environment variable for your system. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="json">XML or JSON?</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| The choice is yours — Tcases can read and write documents using either XML or JSON data formats. Because XML is the original format |
| used by Tcases, all of the examples in this guide assume you are using XML. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Starting with Tcases 4.0.0, JSON is the preferred format for all Tcases documents, and new features will be supported only |
| for JSON documents. You can find the complete guide to Tcases using JSON <A href="https://github.com/Cornutum/tcases/blob/master/Tcases-Guide.md">here</A>. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| You can convert an existing XML project to JSON using the <SPAN class="code">tcases-copy</SPAN> command (or, if using Maven, the |
| <SPAN class="code">tcases:copy</SPAN> goal). For example, the following command will convert <SPAN class="code">myProject-Input.xml</SPAN> |
| and all of its associated <A href="#files">project files</A> into the corresponding <SPAN class="code">*.json</SPAN> files. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases-copy --toType json myProject-Input.xml <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| <SPAN class="code">tcases-copy</SPAN> provides many other options for copying a <A href="#files">Tcases project.</A> |
| For complete details, use the <SPAN class="code">-help</SPAN> option. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases-copy -help <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="run">Running From the Command Line</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| You can run Tcases directly from your shell command line. If you use <SPAN class="code">bash</SPAN> or a similar |
| UNIX shell, you can run the <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command. |
| Or if you are using a Windows command line, you can run Tcases with the <SPAN class="code">tcases.bat</SPAN> command |
| file, using exactly the same syntax. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For example, for a quick check, you can run one of the examples that comes with Tcases, using the following commands. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > cd <I><tcases-release-dir></I> <BR/> |
| > cd docs/examples/xml <BR/> |
| > tcases < find-Input.xml <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For details about the interface to the <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command (and |
| the <SPAN class="code">tcases.bat</SPAN> command, too), see the Javadoc for |
| the <A href="api/org/cornutum/tcases/TcasesCommand.Options.html"><SPAN class="code">TcasesCommand.Options</SPAN></A> |
| class. To get help at the command line, run <SPAN class="code">tcases -help</SPAN>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="run-ant">Running With Ant</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| You can also run Tcases as an Ant task (requires Ant 1.10.9 or later). For an example of how this works, |
| take a look at <SPAN class="code">examples/ant/ant-tcases.xml</SPAN>. Want to try it out? Run the the |
| following commands. |
| |
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > cd <I><tcases-release-dir></I> <BR/> |
| > cd docs/examples/ant <BR/> |
| > ant -f ant-tcases.xml <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For details about the interface to the <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> task, see the |
| Javadoc |
| for the <A href="api/org/cornutum/tcases/ant/TcasesTask.html"><SPAN class="code">TcasesTask</SPAN></A> class. |
| </P> |
| |
| <H3><A name="results">Understanding Tcases Results</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| What happens when you run Tcases? Tcases reads a <A href="#systemInputDef">system input definition</A>, a document |
| that defines the "input space" of the system function to be tested. From this, Tcases produces a different document |
| called a <A name="systemTestDef"><EM>system test definition</EM></A>, which describes a set of test cases. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Try running Tcases on one of the example system input definitions. The following commands will generate |
| test cases for the <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command <A href="#exampleFind">example</A>, which is |
| explained in <A href="#input">full detail</A> later in this guide. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > cd <I><tcases-release-dir></I> <BR/> |
| > cd docs/examples/xml <BR/> |
| > tcases < find-Input.xml <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| The resulting system test definition is written to standard output. Here's what it looks like: for |
| the "find" <A href="#functions">function</A>, a list of test case definitions, each of which defines values for all of |
| the function's input <A href="#vars">variables</A>. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <?xml version="1.0"?> <BR/> |
| <TestCases system="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Function</SPAN> name="find"> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">TestCase</SPAN> id="0"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Var</SPAN> name="pattern.size" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">value</SPAN>="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.blanks" NA="true"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.embeddedQuotes" NA="true"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName" value="defined"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.exists" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patterns" NA="true"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patternsInLine" NA="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </TestCases> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H2><A name="input">Modeling The Input Space</A></H2> |
| <P> |
| Tcases creates test definitions based on a <EM>system input definition</EM> that you create. But how |
| do you do that? That's what this section aims to explain. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| A <EM>system input definition</EM> is a document that models the |
| "input space" of the system-under-test (SUT). We say it "models" system inputs because it doesn't |
| literally itemize all possible input values. Instead, a system input definition lists all the |
| important aspects of system inputs that affect system results. Think of this as |
| describing the "dimensions of variation" in the "input space" of your system. Some dimensions of |
| variation are obvious. If you are testing the <SPAN class="code">add</SPAN> function, you know there |
| are at least two dimensions of variation — the two different numbers being added. But to find |
| all of the key dimensions, you may have to take a deeper look. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, consider how you might test a simple "list files" command, like |
| the <SPAN class="code">ls</SPAN> command in <SPAN class="code">UNIX</SPAN>. (And to keep it simple, |
| let's assume there are no command options or switches to worry about.) Clearly, one dimension of |
| variation is the number of file names given. <SPAN class="code">ls</SPAN> should handle not just one |
| file name but also a list of many file names. And if no file names are |
| given, <SPAN class="code">ls</SPAN> is expected to have a completely different result. But what about each |
| file name itself? <SPAN class="code">ls</SPAN> will produce a different result, depending on whether |
| the name identifies a simple file or a directory. So, the type of the file identified by each file name is an |
| additional dimension of variation. But that's not all! Some file names could identify actual files, |
| but others could be bogus names for files that don't exist, and this difference has a big effect of |
| what <SPAN class="code">ls</SPAN> is expected to do. So, here's another dimension of variation that |
| has nothing to do with the file names themselves but instead concerns the state of the environment in |
| which <SPAN class="code">ls</SPAN> runs. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| You can see that modeling the input space demands careful thought about the SUT. That's a job that no |
| tool can do for you. But Tcases gives you a way to capture that knowledge and to translate it into |
| effective test cases. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="exampleFind">An Example: The find Command</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| To understand input modeling with Tcases, it helps to see an example in action. In this guide, we're |
| going to explain how Tcases works by showing how we can use it to test a hypothetical <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> |
| command. The complete input definition for <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> is included with this guide — you can |
| see it <A href="examples/xml/find-Input.xml">here</A>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Take a look at the <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> specification below. What test cases would you use to test it? |
| |
| <BLOCKQUOTE> |
| Usage: <SPAN class="code">find pattern file</SPAN> |
| <BR/><BR/> |
| Locates one or more instances of a given pattern in a text file. |
| <BR/><BR/> |
| All lines in the file that contain the pattern are written to standard output. A |
| line containing the pattern is written only once, regardless of the number of |
| times the pattern occurs in it. |
| <BR/><BR/> |
| The pattern is any sequence of characters whose length does not exceed the |
| maximum length of a line in the file. To include a blank in the pattern, the |
| entire pattern must be enclosed in quotes ("). To include a quotation mark in the |
| pattern, two quotes in a row ("") must be used. |
| </BLOCKQUOTE> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="functions">Defining System Functions</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| A <A name="systemInputDef">system input definition</A> describes a specific system-under-test, so the root element of the document looks like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">${mySystemName}</SPAN>"> <BR> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- All input definitions go here --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| In general, the SUT has one or more operations or "functions" to be tested. Accordingly, |
| the <SPAN class="code">System</SPAN> element contains |
| a <A name="functionInputDef"><SPAN class="code">Function</SPAN></A> element for each of them. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="${mySystemName}"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">${myFunction-1}</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- All input definitions for ${myFunction-1} go here --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Function name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">${myFunction-2}</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- All input definitions for ${myFunction-2} go here --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| Obviously, what constitutes a "system" or a "function" depends entirely on what you're testing. If your "system" is a Java class, then your |
| "functions" might be its methods. If your "system" is an application, then your "functions" might be use cases. If your "system" is a Web site, |
| then your "functions" might be pages. In any case, the process of input modeling is exactly the same. |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| For our example, we'll build an input definition for a system named "Examples" which has only one function named "find". |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">find</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="vars">Defining Input Variables</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| For each function to be tested, you need to define all of the dimensions of variation in its input |
| space. For simplicity, Tcases refers to each such dimension as a "variable" and each basic variable is |
| represented by a <A name="varDef"><SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN></A> element. In addition, |
| Tcases organizes input variables by type, using an <SPAN class="code">Input</SPAN> element. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| The <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command has two different types of input variables. There are direct input |
| arguments, such as the file name, which have input type <SPAN class="code">arg</SPAN>. There are also other factors, such as |
| the state of the file, which act as indirect "environmental" input variables and are given input type <SPAN class="code">env</SPAN>. |
| (More details about these are shown in a <A href="#exampleEnv">later section</A>.) |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="find"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">arg</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- arg: Direct input arguments (the default) --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">fileName</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Var><BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Input type="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">env</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- env: Environment state variables --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| Actually, the <SPAN class="code">type</SPAN> attribute of the <SPAN class="code">Input</SPAN> |
| element is just a tag that can be any value you want. And it is optional — if omitted, the |
| default is <SPAN class="code">arg</SPAN>. This grouping of inputs by type is available if you find it |
| helpful. You can even define multiple <SPAN class="code">Input</SPAN> elements with the same <SPAN class="code">type</SPAN> if |
| you want to. There is no limit to the number of different <SPAN class="code">Input</SPAN> types that you |
| can define. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="values">Defining Input Values</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| For Tcases to create a test case, it must choose values for all of the input variables. How can it do |
| that? Because we describe all of the possible values for each input variable using one or |
| more <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> elements. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| By default, a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> element |
| defines a valid value, one that the function-under-test is expected to accept. But we can use the |
| optional <SPAN class="code">failure</SPAN> attribute to identify an value that is invalid and expected |
| to cause the function to produce some kind of failure response. Tcases uses these input |
| values to generate two types of test cases — "success" cases, which use only valid values for all |
| variables, and "failure" cases, which use a <SPAN class="code">failure</SPAN> value for exactly one |
| variable. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For example, we can define two possible values for the <SPAN class="code">fileName</SPAN> argument to <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN>. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Function name="find"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- The required file name is defined --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Value name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">defined</SPAN>"/> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- The required file name is missing -- an error --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Value name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">missing</SPAN>" <B>failure="true"</B>/> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| That's it? Your only choices for the file name are "missing" or not? Good question! What's happening |
| here is a very important part of input space modeling. It would be silly to list every possible |
| file name as a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> here. Why? Because it just doesn't matter. At least for |
| this particular function, the letters and format of the file name have no bearing on the |
| behavior of the function. Instead, what's needed is a <U>model</U> of the value domain for this variable that |
| characterizes the <U>types</U> of values that are significant to the test. This is a well-known test design |
| technique known as <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_partitioning">equivalence class |
| partitioning</A>. You use each <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> element to identify a <U>class</U> of |
| values. By definition, all specific values in this class are test-equivalent. We don't need to test them all — |
| any one of them will do. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| In the case of the <SPAN class="code">fileName</SPAN> variable, we've decided that the significance of |
| file name itself is whether it is present or not, and we've chosen to identify those two variations as |
| "defined" and "missing". But the name you use to identify each <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> class is entirely up to you |
| — it is part of the input model you design to describe your tests and it appears in the test case |
| definitions that Tcases generates, to guide your test implementation. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="varSets">Defining Variable Sets</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| It's common to find that a single logical input actually has lots of different characteristics, each of |
| which creates a different "dimension of variation" in the input space. For example, consider the file |
| that is searched by the <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command. Does it even exist? Maybe yes, maybe no |
| — that's one dimension of variation that the tests must cover. And what about its contents? Of |
| course, you'd like to test the case where the file contains lines that match the pattern, as well the |
| case where there are no matches. So, that's another dimension of variation. The spec says that each |
| matching line is printed exactly once, even when it contain multiple matches. Wouldn't you want to test |
| a file that has lines with different numbers of matches? Well, there's yet another dimension of |
| variation. One file — so many dimensions! |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| You can model this complex sort of input as a "variable set", using a <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN> |
| element. With a <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN>, you can describe a single logical input as a set of |
| multiple <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> definitions. A <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN> can even |
| contain another <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN>, creating a hierarchy of logical inputs that can be |
| extended to any number of levels. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, the single <SPAN class="code">file</SPAN> input to the <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command |
| can modeled by the following <A name="exampleEnv">variable set definition</A>. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Function name="find"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">file</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Does the file exist? --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">exists</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="no" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Does the file contain... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">contents</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... any lines longer that the pattern? --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">linesLongerThanPattern</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... any matching lines? --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">patterns</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... multiple matches in a line? --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleEmph">patternsInLine</SPAN>"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Isn't this hierarchy really just the same as four <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> elements, something like the following? |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Var name="file.exists"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patterns"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patternsInLine"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Yes, and when generating test cases, that's essentially how Tcases handles it. But defining a complex |
| input as a <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN> makes the input model simpler to create, read, and maintain. Also, |
| it allows you to apply constraints to an entire tree of variables at once, at you'll see in the next section. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="constraints">Defining Constraints: Properties and Conditions</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| We've seen how to define the value choices for all of the input variables of each function-under-test, |
| including complex input variables with multiple dimensions. That's enough for us to complete a |
| system input definition for the <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command that looks something like the following. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Function name="find"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="pattern"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="size"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="manyChars"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="quoted"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="no"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="unterminated" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="blanks"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="embeddedQuotes"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="defined"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="missing" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="file"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="exists"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="no" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="contents"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="linesLongerThanPattern"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="patterns"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="patternsInLine"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| When we run Tcases with this input document, we'll get a list of test case definitions like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <TestCases system="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="find"> <BR/> |
| <TestCase id="0"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.size" value="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.blanks" value="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.embeddedQuotes" value="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName" value="defined"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.exists" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patterns" value="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patternsInLine" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <TestCase id="1"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.size" value="singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" value="no"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.blanks" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.embeddedQuotes" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName" value="defined"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.exists" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern" value="many"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patterns" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patternsInLine" value="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </TestCases> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| But wait up a second — something doesn't look right here. Take a closer look at test case 0 below. It's telling us |
| to try a test case using a file that contains no instances of the test pattern. Oh, and at the same time, the file |
| should contain a line that has one match for the test pattern. That seems sort of ... impossible. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <TestCase id="0"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.size" value="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.blanks" value="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.embeddedQuotes" value="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName" value="defined"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.exists" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleError">file.contents.patterns</SPAN>" value="<SPAN class="exampleError">none</SPAN>"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleError">file.contents.patternsInLine</SPAN>" value="<SPAN class="exampleError">one</SPAN>"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| And look at test case 1 below. It looks equally problematic. For this test case, the pattern should be |
| a single character. And the pattern should contain one blank. <U>And</U> the pattern should contain one |
| embedded quote character! No way! |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <TestCase id="1"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleError">pattern.size</SPAN>" value="<SPAN class="exampleError">singleChar</SPAN>"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" value="no"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleError">pattern.blanks</SPAN>" value="<SPAN class="exampleError">one</SPAN>"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="<SPAN class="exampleError">pattern.embeddedQuotes</SPAN>" value="<SPAN class="exampleError">one</SPAN>"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName" value="defined"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.exists" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern" value="many"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patterns" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patternsInLine" value="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| What's happening here? Clearly, some of the "dimensions of variation" described by these <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> definitions |
| are not entirely independent of each other. Instead, there are relationships among these variables that <EM>constrain</EM> which |
| combinations of values are feasible. We need a way to define those relationships so that infeasible combinations can be excluded from |
| our test cases. |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| With Tcases, you can do that using <EM>properties</EM> and <EM>conditions</EM>. The following sections explain how, including |
| some tips about how to avoid certain <A href="#conditionTips">problems that constraints can introduce</A>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="properties">Value properties</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| A <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> definition can declare a <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> list that |
| specifies one or more "properties" for this value. For example: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <VarSet name="pattern"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="size"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="empty" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">property="empty"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="singleChar" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">property="singleChar"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="manyChars"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="quoted"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="yes" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">property="quoted"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="no"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="unterminated" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="blanks"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="embeddedQuotes"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| A <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> list is a comma-separated list of identifiers, each of which defines a "property" for this value. |
| A property is just a name that you invent for yourself to identify an important characteristic of this value. The concept is that |
| when this value is included in a test case, it contributes all of its properties — these now become properties of the test case itself. |
| That makes it possible for us to later define "conditions" on the properties that a test case must (or must not!) have for certain values |
| to be included. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, the definition above for the <SPAN class="code">pattern.size</SPAN> variable says that |
| when we choose the value <SPAN class="code">empty</SPAN> for a test case, the test case acquires a |
| property named <SPAN class="code">empty</SPAN>. But if we choose the |
| value <SPAN class="code">singleChar</SPAN>, the test case acquires a different property |
| named <SPAN class="code">singleChar</SPAN>. And if we choose the |
| value <SPAN class="code">manyChars</SPAN>, no new properties are added to the test case. Note that the |
| correspondence between these particular names of the values and properties is not exactly accidental |
| — it helps us understand what these elements mean — but it has no special significance. We |
| could have named any of them differently if we wanted to. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| But note that all of this applies <EM>only</EM> to valid <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> |
| definitions, not to failure <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> definitions that specify |
| <SPAN class="code">failure="true"</SPAN>. Why? Because <A href="#failureValues">failure values are different!</A>. |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| When a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> has a large set of properties, defining them in a long comma-separated list may look a little messy. |
| In which case, you may find it tidier to define properties one at a time using the <SPAN class="code">Property</SPAN> element. For example, |
| instead of this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Var name="A"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="V1" property="this,is,a,ridiculously,long,list,of,property,names"/> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| You could create an equivalent definition like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Var name="A"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="V1"> <BR/> |
| <Property name="this"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="is"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="a"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="ridiculously"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="long"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="list"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="of"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="property"/> <BR/> |
| <Property name="names"/> <BR/> |
| </Value> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="valueConditions">Value conditions</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| We can define the conditions required for a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> to be included in a test case using the |
| <SPAN class="code">when</SPAN> and <SPAN class="code">whenNot</SPAN> attributes. Each of these defines |
| a comma-separated list of property identifiers. Adding a <SPAN class="code">when</SPAN> list means "for |
| this value to be included in a test case, the test case must have <U>all</U> of these |
| properties". Similarly, a <SPAN class="code">whenNot</SPAN> list means "for this value to be included |
| in a test case, the test case must <U>not</U> have <U>any</U> of these properties". |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, consider the conditions we can define for the various characteristics of the <SPAN class="code">pattern</SPAN> |
| input. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <VarSet name="pattern"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="size"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="empty" property="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="singleChar" property="singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="manyChars"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="quoted"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="yes" property="quoted"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="no" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">whenNot="empty"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="unterminated" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="blanks"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">when="quoted, singleChar"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">when="quoted"</SPAN> <SPAN class="exampleEmph">whenNot="singleChar"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="embeddedQuotes"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| This defines a <EM>constraint</EM> on the <SPAN class="code">pattern.quoted</SPAN> variable. We want to |
| have a test case in which the value for this variable is <SPAN class="code">no</SPAN>, i.e. the pattern |
| string is not quoted. But in this case, the <SPAN class="code">pattern.size</SPAN> cannot |
| be <SPAN class="code">empty</SPAN>. Because that combination doesn't make sense, we want to exclude it from the test cases |
| generated by Tcases. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Similarly, we define a constraint on the <SPAN class="code">pattern.blanks</SPAN> variable, which specifies how many blanks |
| should be in the pattern string. We want a test case in which the value is <SPAN class="code">many</SPAN>. But in such |
| a test case, the pattern must be quoted (otherwise, a blank is not possible) and it must <U>not</U> be a single character |
| (which would contradict the requirement for multiple blanks). |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| This also defines another constraint on any test case in which the value of <SPAN class="code">pattern.blanks</SPAN> is |
| <SPAN class="code">one</SPAN>. In such a test case, of course, the pattern must be quoted. And we've declared also |
| that the pattern size must be a single character. But why? That doesn't seem strictly necessary. What's wrong with |
| a pattern that has multiple characters and only one blank? Well, nothing — that's a perfectly good combination. |
| But isn't a pattern that is exactly one blank character a more <U>interesting</U> test case? Isn't that a case that could expose |
| a certain kind of defect in the pattern matching logic? And isn't the case of many-chars-one-blank unlikely to expose |
| any defects not visible in the many-chars-many-blanks case? This demonstrates another way for a smart tester to use properties and conditions: |
| to steer toward test cases with more potent combinations and away from combinations that add little defect-fighting power. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| It's important to note that there are no conditions attached to choosing a value of <SPAN class="code">none</SPAN> for |
| <SPAN class="code">pattern.blanks</SPAN>. A test case can use this value in combination with any |
| others. And that's a good thing. We want to model the reality of the input space for the function, |
| without eliminating any test cases that are actually feasible. Otherwise, our tests will have a blind |
| spot that could allow defects to slip by undetected. Rule of thumb: Use conditions sparingly and only when necessary |
| to avoid infeasible or unproductive test cases. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="failureValues">Failure values are different!</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| Different? Yes, because failure <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> definitions — i.e. those that specify |
| <SPAN class="code">failure="true"</SPAN> — <EM>cannot</EM> define properties. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| If you think about it, you can see that there is a fundamental reason why this is so. |
| Suppose you declare that some value=V defines a property=P. Why would you do that? There |
| really is only one reason: so that some other value=O can require combination with V (or, to |
| be precise, with any value that defines P). But if V |
| declares <SPAN class="code">failure="true"</SPAN>, that doesn't make sense. If the other value |
| O is valid, it can't demand combination with a failure value — otherwise, O could |
| never appear in a success case. And if O is a failure value itself, it can't demand |
| combination with a different failure value — at most one failure value can appear in a |
| <A href="#failureCoverage">failure case</A>. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| But note that a failure <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> <EM>can</EM> define a condition. In |
| other words, it can demand combination with specific values from other variables. By working |
| from this direction, you can control the other values used in a failure case. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="varConditions">Variable conditions</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| You may find that, under certain conditions, an input variable becomes irrelevant. It doesn't matter |
| which value you choose — none of them make a difference in function behavior. It's easy to model |
| this situation — just define a condition on the <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> definition itself. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, when we're testing the <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command, we want to try all of the |
| values defined for every dimension of the <SPAN class="code">pattern</SPAN> variable set. But, in the |
| case when the pattern string is empty, the question of how many blanks it contains is pointless. In |
| this case, the <SPAN class="code">pattern.blanks</SPAN> variable is irrelevant. Similarly, when we test |
| a pattern string that is only one character, the <SPAN class="code">pattern.embeddedQuotes</SPAN> |
| variable is meaningless. We can capture these facts about the input space by adding <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> |
| constraints, as shown below. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">VarSet name="pattern" when="fileExists"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <Var name="size"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="empty" property="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="singleChar" property="singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="manyChars"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="quoted"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="yes" property="quoted"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="no" whenNot="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="unterminated" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Var name="blanks" whenNot="empty"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one" when="quoted, singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many" when="quoted" whenNot="singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Var name="embeddedQuotes" whenNot="empty, singleChar"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| You can define variable constraints at any level of a variable set hierarchy. For example, you can see in the example above |
| that a constraint is defined for the entire <SPAN class="code">pattern</SPAN> variable set. This constraint models the |
| fact that the pattern is irrelevant when the file specified to search doesn't even exist. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| How does a variable constraint affect the test cases generated by Tcases? In a test case where a |
| variable is irrelevant, it is not given a <SPAN class="code">value</SPAN> but instead is designated as <SPAN class="code">NA</SPAN>, meaning "not applicable". |
| For example, test case 0 below shows how testing an empty pattern causes <SPAN class="code">pattern.blanks</SPAN> |
| and <SPAN class="code">pattern.embeddedQuotes</SPAN> to be irrelevant. Similarly, test case 8 shows how testing |
| with a non-existent file makes nearly every other variable irrelevant. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <TestCase id="0"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.size" value="empty"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.blanks" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.embeddedQuotes" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName" value="defined"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.exists" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern" value="one"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patterns" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patternsInLine" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <TestCase id="8" failure="true"> <BR/> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.size" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.blanks" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.embeddedQuotes" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="fileName" value="defined"/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| <Input type="env"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.exists" value="no" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patterns" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="file.contents.patternsInLine" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">NA="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="complexConditions">Complex conditions</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| The <SPAN class="code">when</SPAN> and <SPAN class="code">whenNot</SPAN> attributes are sufficient to express the most common |
| constraints on <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> and <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> definitions. But what if the condition you need is |
| more complicated? For example, what about a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> that can be included only if a test case has either |
| property X <U>or</U> property Y? For such situations, you can define conditions using a <SPAN class="code">When</SPAN> element. |
| A <SPAN class="code">When</SPAN> element can appear as a subelement of any definition that allows a condition: <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN>, |
| <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN>, or <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, the condition for a test case to include a pattern with many blank characters can be expressed with a <SPAN class="code">When</SPAN> |
| element like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <VarSet name="pattern" when="fileExists"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <Var name="blanks" whenNot="empty"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one" when="quoted, singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><When> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- All of the condition below are true... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <AllOf> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... all of the following properties are present... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <AllOf property="quoted"/> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... and none of the following properties are present. --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Not property="singleChar"/> <BR/> |
| </AllOf> <BR/> |
| </When></SPAN> <BR/> |
| </Value> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| A <SPAN class="code">When</SPAN> element contains a single subelement that defines a boolean expression. The basic boolean expressions are: |
| |
| <UL> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">AllOf</SPAN>: a logical "AND" expression |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">AnyOf</SPAN>: a logical "OR" expression |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">Not</SPAN>: a logical negation expression |
| </LI><P/> |
| </UL> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| All of these basic boolean expressions have a similar structure. They can have an optional <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> list, which specifies the |
| properties that are subject to this expression. Also, they can contain any number of additional boolean expressions as subelements. |
| For example: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <When> <BR/> |
| <Not property="A"> <BR/> |
| <AnyOf property="B"> <BR/> |
| <AllOf property="C, D"/> <BR/> |
| </AnyOf> <BR/> |
| </Not> <BR/> |
| </When> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| This <SPAN class="code">When</SPAN> expression is equivalent to the following boolean expression in Java. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| !A && !(B || (C && D)) |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| The <SPAN class="code">when</SPAN> and <SPAN class="code">whenNot</SPAN> attributes are shorthand for the equivalent |
| <SPAN class="code">When</SPAN> expression, and these alternatives are mutually exclusive. If you use either of these attributes, you |
| can't specify a <SPAN class="code">When</SPAN> element in the same definition and vice versa. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="cardinalityConditions">Cardinality conditions</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| The basic boolean conditions are concerned only with the presence (or absence) of certain properties in a test case. But, of course, a test case |
| can accumulate multiple instances of a property, if two or more of the values used in the test case contribute the same property. And in |
| some situations, the number of occurrences of a property is a significant constraint on the input space. You can model these situations |
| using <EM>cardinality conditions</EM>, which check if the number of property occurrences is greater than, less than, or equal to a specific value. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, consider the case of an ice cream shop that sells different types of ice cream cones. These yummy products come only in specific |
| combinations, and the price depends on the combination of scoops and toppings added. But how to test that? The input model for these cones might |
| look like the one below. (You can find the full example <A href="examples/xml/Ice-Cream-Input.xml">here</A>.) |
| </P> |
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Ice-Cream"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="Cones"> <BR/> |
| <Input> <BR/> |
| <Var name=<SPAN class="exampleEmph">"Cone"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Empty" failure="true"> ... </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Plain"> ... </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Plenty"> ... </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Grande"> ... </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Too-Much" failure="true"> ... </Value> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <VarSet name=<SPAN class="exampleEmph">"Flavors"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Vanilla"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Chocolate"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Strawberry"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Pistachio"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Lemon"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Coffee"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <VarSet name=<SPAN class="exampleEmph">"Toppings"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Sprinkles"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Pecans"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Oreos"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Cherries"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="MMs"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Peppermint"> ... </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| To build a cone, you can add a scoop of any flavor and any of the given toppings. To keep track, each of these choices |
| contributes either a <SPAN class="code">scoop</SPAN> or a <SPAN class="code">topping</SPAN> property to our cone test cases. |
| </P> |
| |
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Ice-Cream"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="Cones"> <BR/> |
| <Input> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="Flavors"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><Var name="Vanilla"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Yes" property="scoop"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="No"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/></SPAN> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <Var name="Coffee"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Yes" property="scoop"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="No"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="Toppings" when="scoop"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><Var name="Sprinkles"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Yes" property="topping"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="No"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/></SPAN> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <Var name="Peppermint"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Yes" property="topping"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="No"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Then we can define specific cone products based on the number of scoops and toppings, using cardinality conditions like <SPAN class="code">LessThan</SPAN>, |
| <SPAN class="code">Equals</SPAN>, and <SPAN class="code">Between</SPAN>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Ice-Cream"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="Cones"> <BR/> |
| <Input> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Cone"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Empty" failure="true"> <BR/> |
| <When> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><LessThan property="scoop" max="1"/> <BR/></SPAN> |
| </When> <BR/> |
| </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Plain"> <BR/> |
| <When> <BR/> |
| <AllOf> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><Equals property="scoop" count="1"/> <BR/> |
| <NotMoreThan property="topping" max="1"/> <BR/></SPAN> |
| </AllOf> <BR/> |
| </When> <BR/> |
| </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Plenty"> <BR/> |
| <When> <BR/> |
| <AllOf> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><Between property="scoop" min="1" max="2"/> <BR/> |
| <NotMoreThan property="topping" max="2"/> <BR/></SPAN> |
| </AllOf> <BR/> |
| </When> <BR/> |
| </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Grande"> <BR/> |
| <When> <BR/> |
| <AllOf> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><Between property="scoop" exclusiveMin="0" exclusiveMax="4"/> <BR/> |
| <Between property="topping" min="1" max="3"/> <BR/></SPAN> |
| </AllOf> <BR/> |
| </When> <BR/> |
| </Value> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Too-Much" failure="true"> <BR/> |
| <When> <BR/> |
| <AnyOf> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><MoreThan property="scoop" min="3"/> <BR/> |
| <NotLessThan property="topping" min="4"/> <BR/></SPAN> |
| </AnyOf> <BR/> |
| </When> <BR/> |
| </Value> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Here's a complete list of all the cardinality conditions you can use. |
| <UL> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">LessThan</SPAN>: Satisfied when the given <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> occurs less than the given <SPAN class="code">max</SPAN> times. |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">NotLessThan</SPAN>: Satisfied when the given <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> occurs greater than or equal to the given <SPAN class="code">min</SPAN> times. |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">MoreThan</SPAN>: Satisfied when the given <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> occurs more than the given <SPAN class="code">min</SPAN> times. |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">NotMoreThan</SPAN>: Satisfied when the given <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> occurs less than or equal to the given <SPAN class="code">max</SPAN> times. |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">Between</SPAN>: Satisfied when occurrences of the given <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> are both greater than or equal to the given |
| <SPAN class="code">min</SPAN> and less than or equal to the given <SPAN class="code">max</SPAN>. If you want to specify a strictly greater/less than relationship, |
| specify an <SPAN class="code">exclusiveMin</SPAN> or <SPAN class="code">exclusiveMax</SPAN> attribute instead. |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> <SPAN class="code">Equals</SPAN>: Satisfied when the given <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> occurs exactly the given <SPAN class="code">count</SPAN> times. |
| </LI><P/> |
| </UL> |
| </P> |
| |
| <H4><A name="conditionTips">But be careful!</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| With the constraints defined by properties and conditions comes great power. Use it |
| carefully! It's possible to define constraints that make it very difficult or even |
| impossible for Tcases to generate the test cases you want. If it looks to you like Tcases |
| is frozen, that's probably what's going on. Tcases is not frozen — it's busy with a |
| very long and perhaps fruitless search for a combination of values that will satisfy your |
| constraints. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| The following sections describe some of the situations to watch out for. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H5>Infeasible combinations</H5> |
| <P> |
| Tcases always generates test cases that include specific combinations of values, based on |
| the <A href="#coverage">coverage level</A> you've specified. But what if you've defined |
| constraints that make some intended value combination impossible? If so, we say that this |
| combination is "infeasible". For combinations of 2 or more variables (2-tuples, 3-tuples, |
| etc.), this may be expected, so Tcases will simply <A href="#logging">log</A> a warning and |
| keep going. For "combinations" of a single variable (the default coverage level), this is an |
| error, and you must fix the offending constraints before Tcases can continue. |
| </P> |
| |
| <DIV class="tips"> |
| Tips: |
| <UL> |
| <LI> |
| To help find the bad constraint that's giving you grief, try <A href="#logging">changing the logging level</A> to |
| <SPAN class="code">DEBUG</SPAN> or <SPAN class="code">TRACE</SPAN>. |
| </LI> |
| <P/> |
| <LI> |
| Are you using <A href="#higherCoverage">higher coverage levels</A> (2-tuples, 3-tuples, etc.)? |
| If so, try running a quick check using only the default coverage. An easy way to do that is |
| to run Tcases like this: <NOBR><SPAN class="code">tcases < <EM><myInputModelFile></EM></SPAN></NOBR>. |
| If there is an infeasible value, this check can sometimes show you the error. |
| </LI> |
| </UL> |
| </DIV> |
| |
| <P> |
| Usually, Tcases can quickly report when combinations are infeasible. But in some cases, |
| Tcases can find the problem only after trying and eliminating all possibilities. If it |
| looks to you like Tcases is frozen, that's probably what's going on. Tcases is not frozen |
| — it's busy with a long, exhaustive, and ultimately fruitless search. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| To avoid such problems, it helps to remember this simple rule: every "success" test case must define a valid value for all variables. For any individual |
| variable <SPAN class="code">V</SPAN>, no matter which values are chosen for the other variables in a success test case, there must be at least one valid |
| value of <SPAN class="code">V</SPAN> that is compatible with them. |
| <P> |
| For example, the following variable definitions are infeasible. There is no way |
| to complete a success test case containing <SPAN class="code">Shape=Square</SPAN> because there is no valid value for <SPAN class="code">Color</SPAN> |
| that is compatible with it. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Var name="Shape"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Square" property="quadrilateral"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Circle"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Color"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Red" whenNot="quadrilateral"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Green" whenNot="quadrilateral"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Blue" whenNot="quadrilateral"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Chartreuse" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| The only exception is for conditions in which a variable is defined to be entirely <A href="#varConditions">irrelevant</A>. |
| For example, the following definitions are OK, |
| because they explicitly declare that <SPAN class="code">Color</SPAN> is incompatible with <SPAN class="code">Shape=Square</SPAN>. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Var name="Shape"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Square" property="quadrilateral"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Circle"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Color" whenNot="quadrilateral"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Red"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Green"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Blue"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="Chartreuse" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H5>Large <SPAN class="code">AnyOf</SPAN> conditions</H5> |
| <P> |
| You can use an <A href="#complexConditions"><SPAN class="code">AnyOf</SPAN> condition</A> to |
| define a logical "OR" expression. But beware an <SPAN class="code">AnyOf</SPAN> that |
| contains a large number of subexpressions. When Tcases is looking for value combinations to |
| satisfy such a condition, it must evaluate a large number of possibilities. As the number of |
| subexpressions increases, the number of possibilities increases exponentially! This can |
| quickly get out of hand, even when a satisfying combination exists. And things go from bad |
| to worse if this <SPAN class="code">AnyOf</SPAN> makes an intended test case infeasible. If |
| it looks to you like Tcases is slow or frozen, that may be what's going on. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| If you face this situation, you should try to find a way simplify the |
| large <SPAN class="code">AnyOf</SPAN> condition. For example, you may be able to eliminate |
| subexpressions by assigning special properties that produce an equivalent result. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H2><A name="coverage">Defining Input Coverage</A></H2> |
| <P> |
| Tcases generates test case definitions by creating combinations of values for all input variables. But |
| how does it come up with these combinations? And why these particular combinations and not others? And |
| just how good are these test cases? Can you rely on them to test your system thoroughly? |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Good questions. And here's the basic answer: Tcases generates the minimum number of test cases needed to meet the coverage |
| requirements that you specify. But to understand what that means, you need to understand how Tcases measures coverage. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="combinations">Combinatorial Testing Basics</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| Tcases is concerned with input space coverage — how many of the feasible combinations of input |
| values are tested. To measure input space coverage, Tcases is guided by concepts from the field of |
| <A href="http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/acts/index.html">combinatorial testing</A>. As testers, we're |
| looking for combinations of input values that will trigger a <EM>failure</EM>, thus exposing a <EM>defect</EM> in |
| the SUT. But, in general, we can't afford the effort to test every combination. We have to settle for some |
| subset. But how? |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Suppose we tried the following approach. For the first test case, just pick a valid value for every |
| input variable. Then, for the next test case, pick a different valid value for every variable. Continue |
| this until we've used every valid value of every variable at least once. Of course, as we do this, |
| we'll skip over any infeasible combinations that don't satisfy our constraints. The result will be a |
| fairly small number of test cases. In fact, assuming there are no constraints on input values, |
| the number of "success" cases created by this procedure will |
| be S, where S is the maximum number of valid values defined for any one variable. For the failure |
| cases, we can do something similar by creating a new test case for each invalid value, substituting it |
| into an otherwise-valid combination of other values. That gives us F more test cases, where F is the |
| total number of invalid values for all variables. So that's S+F tests cases, a pretty small test suite |
| that ought to be quite doable. But what is the coverage? Well, we've guaranteed that every value of |
| every variable is used at least once. That is what is known as "1-way coverage" or "1-tuple coverage" — all |
| "combinations" of 1 variable. (This is also known as "each choice coverage".) |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| But is that good enough? Experience |
| (and <A href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=8960929">research<A>) teaches us that many |
| failures are triggered by the interaction of two or more variables. So maybe we should aim for a higher |
| level of input coverage. We could iterate over every pair of input variables and consider every combination of |
| their values. For example, the <SPAN class="code">pattern.size</SPAN> variable has 3 valid values and |
| the <SPAN class="code">pattern.quoted</SPAN> variable has 2 valid values. That makes 6 combinations for |
| this pair of variables (ignoring constraints). For each pair, create a test case and fill it out with |
| values for all of the other variables. In the end, we'll have a test suite that uses every such pair at |
| least once — that's "2-way coverage" or "2-tuple coverage" (also known as "pairwise |
| coverage"). This is a much stronger test suite — more likely to find many defects — but |
| it's also a larger number of test cases. |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| We can extend the same approach to even higher levels of combinatorial coverage — 3-way coverage, |
| 4-way coverage, etc. With each higher level, our tests become more powerful. But the price is that the |
| number of test cases increases rapidly with each additional level. At some point, the gain is not worth |
| the pain. In fact, research indicates that very few failures are caused by the interaction of 4 or more variables, |
| and failures that require an interaction of 6 or more variables are virtually unknown. Most failures appear to |
| be triggered by 1- or 2-way interactions. But that doesn't necessarily mean you should stop at 2-way coverage. |
| Every system has its own unique risks. Also, not all variables interact equally — you may have some |
| sets of variables that need a higher level of coverage than the rest. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Note that the number of test cases required to meet a specific level of coverage depends on |
| many factors. Naturally, the number of test cases needed for N-way coverage increases for |
| larger values of N. Also, variables that have a large number of values create more |
| combinations to be covered, which may demand more test cases. Also, when there are |
| constraints among input values, the number of test cases tends to increase. For example, |
| a <A href="#varConditions">variable condition</A> means that some test cases must use <SPAN class="code">NA="true"</SPAN> |
| for that variable, which means that additional test cases are needed to cover the |
| real values. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="failureCoverage">Failure Cases Are Different! </A></H3> |
| <P> |
| Notice that when we talk about the various levels of N-way variable combinations, we are careful to apply these combinations |
| only to <EM>valid</EM> values of these variables. Why? Because failures cases are different! |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Clearly, for every variable, each invalid value (i.e. with <SPAN class="code">failure="true"</SPAN>) deserves its own test case. |
| A "failure" case like this should have an invalid value for exactly one variable and valid values for all of the other variables. |
| That's the only sure way to verify that an expected failure can be attributed to solely to this invalid value. Consequently, it should |
| be understood that <U>the number of failure cases generated by Tcases will always be equal to the number of invalid values</U>, |
| regardless of the combinatorial coverage level used. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Of course, for any given level of N-way valid combinations, the set of failure cases will nearly always include some of those |
| combinations. But that doesn't count! For true N-tuple coverage, a test set must include every valid combination in at least one "success" case. |
| Again, the reason for this should be clear. That's the only sure way to verify the expectation that this combination leads to a valid result. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="defaultCoverage">Default Coverage</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| For the record, the default for Tcases is 1-tuple coverage. In other words, unless you specify otherwise, Tcases |
| will translate your system input definition into a minimal set of test case definitions that uses every value of every |
| variable — every "1-tuple" — at least once, while satisfying all constraints. |
| </P> |
| |
| <P> |
| Is that good enough? Maybe. If you've built your system input definition carefully, you're likely to |
| find that a 1-tuple coverage test suite also achieves upward of 75% basic block (line) coverage of the |
| SUT. In fact, using Tcases in tandem with a structural coverage tool like Emma or Cobertura can be |
| very effective. Tip: Use Tcases to create a 1-tuple coverage test suite, then measure structural coverage |
| to identify any gaps in the system input definition. You can repeat this process to quickly reach a |
| small but powerful set of test cases. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| But to get the tests you need faster, you may need to selectively apply 2-tuple coverage or higher. The next section |
| explains how. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="higherCoverage">Defining Higher Coverage</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| For higher levels of coverage, you need to create a <A name="genDef"><EM>generator definition</EM></A> |
| that specifies your coverage requirements in detail. A generator definition, which is another document |
| that Tcases applies to your system input definition, defines a set of "generators". |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="${myFunction-1}"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Coverage requirements for ${myFunction-1} go here --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="${myFunction-2}"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Coverage requirements for ${myFunction-2} go here --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| The simplest possible generator definition looks like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!--For all functions (the default), generate 1-tuple coverage (the default)--></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator/> <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| To require 2-tuple coverage for all variables of all functions, you would create a generator definition like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Generate 2-tuple coverage for all functions --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator <SPAN class="exampleEmph">tuples="2"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| To require 3-tuple coverage only for the function named <SPAN class="code">F</SPAN>, while generating 2-tuple |
| coverage for all other functions, you would create a generator definition like the one below. Notice that you can |
| explicitly identify "all functions" using the special function name <SPAN class="code">*</SPAN>. Or you can just |
| leave the <SPAN class="code">function</SPAN> attribute undefined, which has the same effect. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- By default, generate 2-tuple coverage for all functions --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator <SPAN class="exampleEmph">function="*"</SPAN> tuples="2"/> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- But generate 3-tuple coverage for F --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator <SPAN class="exampleEmph">function="F"</SPAN> tuples="3"/> <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| |
| <H3><A name="multiCoverage">Defining Multiple Levels Of Coverage</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| When you look carefully at the functions of your system-under-test, you may well find that some of them |
| call for more intense testing than others. That's what a generator definition allows you to do. In |
| fact, when you look carefully at a single function, you may be more concerned about the interactions |
| between certain specific variables. You may even want to test every possible permutation for a small subset of key |
| variables. Is it possible to get high coverage in a few areas and basic coverage everywhere else? Why, yes, you |
| can. This section explains how. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| You've already seen how you can specify different levels of coverage for different functions. For finer |
| control, you can use one or more <SPAN class="code">Combine</SPAN> elements. A <SPAN class="code">Combine</SPAN> |
| element defines the level of coverage generated for a specific subset of <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> |
| definitions. You specify which variables to combine using a variable "path pattern". For example: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- With 1-tuple coverage (the default) for un-Combine-ed variables... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="find"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ...Generate 2-tuple coverage for... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><Combine tuples="2"></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... all Vars in the "pattern" variable set --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Include var="pattern.*"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Combine> <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| A variable path pattern describes a path to a specific <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN>, possibly nested within a <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN> |
| hierarchy. Wildcards allow you to match all immediate children (<SPAN class="code">*</SPAN>) or all descendants (<SPAN class="code">**</SPAN>) |
| of a <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN>. Note that a pattern can contain at most one wildcard, which can appear only at the end of the path. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| You can use a combination of <SPAN class="code">Include</SPAN> and <SPAN class="code">Exclude</SPAN> |
| elements to concisely describe exactly which variables to combine. You can specify as many <SPAN class="code">Include</SPAN> |
| or <SPAN class="code">Exclude</SPAN> elements as you need. For example: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- With 1-tuple coverage (the default) for un-Combine-ed variables... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="find"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ...Generate 2-tuple coverage for... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Combine tuples="2"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... all variables except for Vars in the "file" set --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Exclude var="file.**"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Combine> <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- With 2-tuple coverage for un-Combine-ed variables... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="find" tuples="2"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ...Generate 1-tuple coverage (the default) for... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Combine</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ...all Vars in the "pattern" variable set... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Include var="pattern.*"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ...except "embeddedQuotes" --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Exclude var="pattern.embeddedQuotes"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Combine> <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| A <SPAN class="code">Combine</SPAN> element that specifies the special value <SPAN class="code">tuples="0"</SPAN> |
| generates test cases that include all possible value permutations of the included variables. |
| Obviously, this setting has the potential to create a huge number of test cases, so it should be used |
| sparingly and only for small sets of variables. |
| For example: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- With 1-tuple coverage (the default) for un-Combine-ed variables... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="find"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Include all permutations of the "pattern" variable set --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Combine <SPAN class="exampleEmph">tuples="0"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| <Include var="pattern.*"/> <BR/> |
| </Combine> <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Each <SPAN class="code">Combine</SPAN> element defines how to combine a specific set of |
| variables. But what about the variables that are not included in |
| any <SPAN class="code">Combine</SPAN>? For these, Tcases automatically creates a |
| default <SPAN class="code">Combine</SPAN> group, using the |
| default <SPAN class="code">tuples</SPAN> defined for |
| the <SPAN class="code">TupleGenerator.</SPAN> |
| </P> |
| |
| <H2><A name="project">Managing A Tcases Project</A></H2> |
| <P> |
| Using Tcases to design a test suite means: |
| |
| <UL> |
| <LI>Learning about the expected behavior of the SUT</LI> |
| <LI>Creating an initial system input definition</LI> |
| <LI>Generating, evaluating, and improving test case definitions</LI> |
| <LI>Evaluating and improving coverage requirements</LI> |
| <LI>Changing input definitions to handle new cases</LI> |
| </UL> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| You might finish all these tasks very quickly. Or this effort might extend over a significant period of time. Either way, that's a project. |
| This section offers some tips to help you complete your Tcases project more effectively. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="files">Managing Project Files</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| A Tcases project must deal with several closely-related files: a system input definition, zero or more generator definitions, and |
| the test case definition document that is generated from them (possibly in multiple forms). The <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> |
| command implements some conventions that make it easier to keep these files organized. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| The <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command allows you to refer to all of the files for a project |
| named <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}</SPAN> using the following conventions. |
| |
| <UL> |
| <LI><SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Input.xml</SPAN>: the system input definition file</LI> |
| <LI><SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Generators.xml</SPAN>: the generator definition file</LI> |
| <LI><SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Test.xml</SPAN>: the test case definition file</LI> |
| </UL> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For example, here's a simple way to run Tcases. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| This command performs the following actions. |
| |
| <OL> |
| <LI>Reads the system input definition from <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Input.xml</SPAN></LI> |
| <LI>Reads the generator definition from <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Generators.xml</SPAN>, if it exists</LI> |
| <LI>Writes test case definitions to <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Test.xml</SPAN></LI> |
| </OL> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Of course, you can use various options for the <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command to customize this default |
| pattern. For details, see the <A href="api/org/cornutum/tcases/TcasesCommand.Options.html"><SPAN class="code">TcasesCommand.Options</SPAN></A> class, |
| or run <SPAN class="code">tcases -help</SPAN>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="reuse">Reusing Previous Test Cases</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| You know the feeling. You've spent days figuring out a minimal set of test cases that covers all test |
| requirements. Then the developer walks up with the great news: they've decided to add a new feature |
| with some new parameters. And they've changed their minds about some things. You know that required |
| parameter? Well, it's optional now — leaving it blank is no longer an error. Sometimes is seems |
| they're doing this just to torture you. But, honestly, most of the time it's just the normal progression |
| of a development project. After a few iterations, you've gained more knowledge that you need to apply to |
| the system you're building. Or after a release or two, it's time to make the system do new tricks. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Either way, it's back to the ol' test drawing board. Or is it? You're not changing everything. Why can't you just tweak the |
| test cases you already have? Funny you should ask. Because that's exactly what Tcases can do. In fact, it's the default |
| way of working. Remember that simple <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command line? |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Here's what it <U>really</U> does: |
| |
| <OL> |
| <LI>Reads the system input definition from <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Input.xml</SPAN></LI> |
| <LI>Reads the generator definition from <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Generators.xml</SPAN>, if it exists</LI> |
| <LI><U>And reads previous test cases</U> from <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Test.xml</SPAN>, if it exists</LI> |
| <LI> <U>Then writes new test case definitions</U> to <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Test.xml</SPAN> which |
| reuse as much of the previous test cases as possible, extending or modifying them as needed</LI> |
| </OL> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| You might prefer to ignore previous test cases and just create new ones from scratch. That's especially |
| true in the early stages of your project while you're still working out the details of the system input |
| definition. If so, you can use the <SPAN class="code">-n</SPAN> option to always create new tests cases, ignoring |
| any previous ones. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases <SPAN class="codeEmph">-n</SPAN> ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| |
| <H3><A name="random">Mix It Up: Random Combinations</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| By default, Tcases creates combinations of input variables by marching through the system input definition top-to-bottom, picking things |
| up in the order in which it finds them. You might try to exploit that natural order, although satisfying constraints |
| can take things off a predictable sequence. That's why you really shouldn't care too much about which combinations Tcases comes up with. |
| Even better? Ask Tcases to randomize its combination procedure. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| You can define random combinations in your generator definition by using the <SPAN class="code">seed</SPAN> attribute |
| — see the example below. |
| This integer value acts as the seed for a random number generator that controls the combination process. Alternatively, |
| you can (re)define the seed value using <A href="#simpleGenDef">command line options</A> described in later sections. |
| By specifying the seed explicitly, you ensure that <U>exactly the same</U> random combinations will be used every |
| time you run Tcases with this generator definition. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="find" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">seed="200712190644"</SPAN>> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| The results of random combination can be very interesting. First, you can end up with test cases that |
| you might not have considered, even though they are perfectly valid and produce the same |
| coverage. Sometimes that's just enough to expose a defect that might otherwise have been overlooked, |
| simply because no one thought to try that case. This is an application of the principle of "gratuitous |
| variety" to improve your tests. This also produces another benefit — sometimes an unusual |
| combination can demonstrate a flaw in your test design. If a combination just doesn't make sense, then |
| it's likely that a constraint is missing or incorrect. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Finally, random combinations can occasionally |
| reduce the number of test cases needed to meet your coverage requirements. That's because some |
| combinations may "consume" variable tuples more efficiently than other equally-valid |
| combinations. Tcases does not attempt to spend the enormous effort needed to guarantee an optimally |
| minimal set of test cases. It simply starts at the beginning and does its best to get quickly to the |
| end. But a random walk through the combinations may lead Tcases to a more efficient path. If you're concerned about |
| the size of your test suite, try the <A href="#reduce">Tcases Reducer</A>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="reduce">Reducing Test Cases: A Random Walk</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| A random walk through the combinations may lead Tcases to a smaller set of test cases. So you could try repeatedly altering your |
| generator definition with a bunch of different <SPAN class="code">seed</SPAN> values, searching for one that minimizes |
| the size of the generated test definition file. Sounds tedious, huh? So, don't do that — use the Tcases Reducer instead. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Here how to do it, using the <SPAN class="code">tcases-reducer</SPAN> command. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > cd <I><tcases-release-dir></I> <BR/> |
| > cd docs/examples/xml <BR/> |
| > tcases-reducer find-Input.xml <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| And the result? Now there is a <SPAN class="code">find-Generators.xml</SPAN> file that looks something like this: |
| a generator definition that uses a random seed for all functions. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <?xml version="1.0"?><BR/> |
| <Generators><BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="*" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">seed="1909310132352748544"</SPAN> tuples="1"><BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator><BR/> |
| </Generators><BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| <P> |
| But why this seed value? For a detailed view, look at the |
| resulting <SPAN class="code">tcases-reducer.log</SPAN> file (see example below). First, the |
| Reducer generates test cases without using a random seed, producing 10 test cases. Then, |
| the Reducer tries again, and it reduces the results to 9 test cases. Then, the Reducer |
| tries several more time, each time using a different random seed. Finally, the |
| Reducer cannot find a greater reduction, so it terminates. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| INFO org.cornutum.tcases.Reducer - Reading system input definition=find-Input.xml<BR/> |
| INFO o.c.t.generator.TupleGenerator - FunctionInputDef[find]: generating test cases<BR/> |
| ...<BR/> |
| INFO o.c.t.generator.TupleGenerator - FunctionInputDef[find]: completed 10 test cases<BR/> |
| INFO o.c.t.generator.TupleGenerator - FunctionInputDef[find]: generating test cases<BR/> |
| ...<BR/> |
| INFO o.c.t.generator.TupleGenerator - FunctionInputDef[find]: completed 9 test cases<BR/> |
| INFO org.cornutum.tcases.Reducer - Round 1: after 2 samples, reached 9 test cases<BR/> |
| ...<BR/> |
| INFO org.cornutum.tcases.Reducer - Round 2: after 10 samples, terminating<BR/> |
| INFO org.cornutum.tcases.Reducer - Updating generator definition=find-Generators.xml<BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| The Reducer handles all the work of searching for the best random seed, without overwriting |
| any existing test definition files. Here's how it works. The reducing process operates as |
| a sequence of "rounds". Each round consists of a series of test case generations |
| called "samples". Each sample uses a new random seed to generate test cases for a specified |
| function (or, by default, all functions) in an attempt to find a seed that produces the |
| fewest test cases. If all samples in a round complete without reducing the current minimum |
| test case count, the reducing process terminates. Otherwise, as soon as a new minimum is |
| reached, a new round begins. The number of samples in each subsequent round is determined |
| using a "resample factor". At the end of the reducing process, the generator definition file |
| for the given system input definition is updated with the random seed value that produces |
| the minimum test case count. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Even though the Reducer produces a random seed that minimizes test cases, you still have to |
| consider if these test cases are satisfactory. You might wonder if a different seed might |
| produce an equally small but more interesting set of test cases. If so, try using the |
| <SPAN class="code">-R</SPAN> option. This tells the Reducer to ignore any previous random seed |
| in the generator definition and to search for a new seed value. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For details about all the options for the <SPAN class="code">tcases-reducer</SPAN> command (and |
| its Windows counterpart <SPAN class="code">tcases-reducer.bat</SPAN>), see the Javadoc for |
| the <A href="api/org/cornutum/tcases/ReducerCommand.Options.html"><SPAN class="code">ReducerCommand.Options</SPAN></A> |
| class. To get help at the command line, run <SPAN class="code">tcases-reducer -help</SPAN>. |
| </P> |
| |
| <H3><A name="once">Avoiding Unneeded Combinations</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| Even when Tcases is generating test cases for the default 1-tuple coverage, it's typical to see some input values used |
| many times. This is most likely for those <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> elements that contain only a few |
| <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> definitions. Even after these values have been used, Tcases will continue to reuse them |
| to fill out the remaining test cases needed to complete the test suite. In some situations, this can be a bit of a |
| pain. Sometimes there is a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> that you need to test at least once, but for various reasons, |
| including it multiple times adds complexity without really increasing the likelihood of finding new failures. |
| In this case, you can use the <SPAN class="code">once</SPAN> attribute as a hint to avoiding reusing a value more than once. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For example, the <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command requires that the <SPAN class="code">pattern</SPAN> must |
| not exceed the maximum length of a line in the file. Even one line longer than the pattern would be enough to |
| avoid this error condition. In fact, the principles of boundary value testing suggest that it's a good idea |
| to have a test case that has <U>exactly</U> one line longer. Therefore: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <VarSet name="file" when="fileName"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="contents" when="fileExists"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="linesLongerThanPattern"> <BR/> |
| <<SPAN class="exampleEmph">Value name="one" property="matchable"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many" property="matchable"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| But this is a corner case that doesn't bear repeating. It's a chore to create a test file that meets this special condition, and it's |
| complicated to stretch such a file to meet additional conditions. Moreover, it's unlikely that this special condition |
| will have higher-order interactions with other variable combinations. So let's add <SPAN class="code">once="true"</SPAN> to |
| request Tcases to include this value in only one test case. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <VarSet name="file" when="fileName"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <VarSet name="contents" when="fileExists"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="linesLongerThanPattern"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="one" property="matchable"<SPAN class="exampleEmph"> once="true"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="many" property="matchable"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="none" failure="true"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </VarSet> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Nice! But keep in mind that the <SPAN class="code">once</SPAN> hint may not always be respected. |
| Even when <SPAN class="code">once="true"</SPAN>, a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> may be used more than once |
| if it is needed to satisfy a constraint in remaining test cases. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| The <A name="once-tuples"><SPAN class="code">once</SPAN> hint is actually a shortcut</A> that applies |
| only to a 1-tuple for a single variable <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN>. If the <A href="#genDef">generator |
| definition</A> includes this variable in higher-order tuples, <SPAN class="code">once</SPAN> has no |
| effect. But the same situation can occur with higher-order combinations, too. For example, although you may |
| want pairwise coverage for a certain set of variables, one or more of these 2-tuples may be special cases |
| that should be used at most once. To define such exceptions you can add one or |
| more <SPAN class="code">Once</SPAN> elements to your generator definition. For example: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Generate 1-tuple coverage for all variables... --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator function="find"> <BR/> |
| <Combine tuples="2"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... but 2-tuple coverage for Vars in the "pattern" variable set --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Include var="pattern.*"/> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- ... using the following 2-tuple at most once --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Once> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.size" value="manyChars"/> <BR/> |
| <Var name="pattern.quoted" value="yes"/> <BR/> |
| </Once> </SPAN> <BR/> |
| </Combine> <BR/> |
| </TupleGenerator> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="simpleGenDef">Simple Generator Definitions</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| Tcases provides some options to make it easier to create and update a simple <A href="#genDef">generator definition</A> |
| document. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4>Defining A Random Seed</H4> |
| <P> |
| To define a random combination seed, use the <SPAN class="code">-r</SPAN> option. For example, the following command |
| generates test cases with a default <SPAN class="code">TupleGenerator</SPAN> that uses the specified seed value. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases <SPAN class="codeEmph">-r 299293214</SPAN> ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| If you already have a <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Generators.xml</SPAN> file, this command will |
| update the file by adding or changing the default <SPAN class="code">seed</SPAN> value, as shown |
| below. If no <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Generators.xml</SPAN> file exists, it will create one. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator <SPAN class="exampleEmph">seed="299293214"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| If you'd like to randomize combinations but you're not particular about the seed value, |
| use the <SPAN class="code">-R</SPAN> option, and Tcases will choose a random seed value for you. This option can be handy |
| when you want to see if a different seed value might produce more interesting test case combinations. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4>Defining The Default Coverage Level</H4> |
| <P> |
| To define the default coverage level for all functions, use the <SPAN class="code">-c</SPAN> option. For example, the following command |
| generates test cases with a default <SPAN class="code">TupleGenerator</SPAN> that uses the specified coverage level. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases <SPAN class="codeEmph">-c 2</SPAN> ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| If you already have a <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Generators.xml</SPAN> file, this command will |
| update the file by adding or changing the default <SPAN class="code">tuples</SPAN> value, as shown |
| below. If no <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Generators.xml</SPAN> file exists, it will create one. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <Generators> <BR/> |
| <TupleGenerator <SPAN class="exampleEmph">tuples="2"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Generators> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="trouble">Troubleshooting FAQs</A></H3> |
| <OL> |
| <LI> <B>Help! Tcases keeps running and never finishes!</B> |
| <BLOCKQUOTE> |
| You have probably over-constrained your input model, making it difficult or impossible to generate test cases that satisfy all of the |
| constraints. But that won't stop Tcases from trying until it has eliminated all possible combinations. |
| Which, in some cases, can take a <EM>very</EM> long time. |
| Tcases is not frozen — it's busy with a long, exhaustive, and possibly fruitless search. |
| <BR/><BR/> |
| To fix this, check your <SPAN class="code">condition</SPAN> and <SPAN class="code">property</SPAN> settings until you find |
| the problem. You can find more details about this situation <A href="#conditionTips">here</A>. |
| </BLOCKQUOTE> |
| </LI> |
|
|
| <LI> <A name="logging"><B>How can I see more details about what Tcases is doing?</B></A> |
| <BLOCKQUOTE> |
| Tcases uses the <A href="http://logback.qos.ch/">Logback</A> system for producing a log of its actions. By default, log |
| messages are written to a file named <SPAN class="code">tcases.log</SPAN> in the current working directory, |
| although you can redirect them to standard output by using the <NOBR><SPAN class="code">-l stdout</SPAN></NOBR> option. |
| <BR/><BR/> |
| The default logging level is <SPAN class="code">INFO</SPAN>, which shows only basic progress and error information. |
| To see more details, change the logging level to <SPAN class="code">DEBUG</SPAN> using the <SPAN class="code">-L</SPAN> option. |
| To see even more details, change the logging level to <SPAN class="code">TRACE</SPAN>. |
| </BLOCKQUOTE> |
| </LI> |
| </OL> |
|
|
| <H2><A name="transform">Transforming Test Cases</A></H2> |
| <P> |
| The test case definitions that Tcases produces are not directly executable. Their purpose is to specify and guide the construction |
| of actual tests. But because test case definitions can appear in a well-defined XML document, it's not hard to transform them into |
| a more concrete form. This section describes the options Tcases offers for output transformations. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="html">Creating An HTML Report</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| The XML form for test case definitions is pretty simple. But let's face it — reading XML is not always a lot of fun. It's not necessarily what you'd want |
| to hand someone for guidance during manual testing. So how about looking at the same information in a nice Web page on your browser? |
| To do that, just add the <SPAN class="code">-H</SPAN> option to your <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command, |
| and Tcases will automatically write test case definitions in the form of an HTML file. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Here's a simple example. Try out these commands: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > cd <I><tcases-release-dir></I> <BR/> |
| > cd docs/examples/xml <BR/> |
| > tcases <SPAN class="codeEmph">-H</SPAN> find <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| This runs Tcases on the input definitions in <SPAN class="code">find-Input.xml</SPAN> and |
| produces a file named <SPAN class="code">find-Test.htm</SPAN>. Open this file with your |
| browser and you'll see something like the simple HTML report below. This report allows you |
| to browse through all of the test cases and look at each one of them in detail. You'll see |
| all of the input values needed for the selected test case (omitting any |
| input variables that are <A href="#varConditions">irrelevant</A> for this test case). |
|
|
| <BLOCKQUOTE> |
| <IMG src="find-Test-Html.png"/> |
| </BLOCKQUOTE> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Don't particularly care for this report format? You can define and apply your own presentation format using the |
| <A href="api/org/cornutum/tcases/io/TestDefToHtmlFilter.html"><SPAN class="code">TestDefToHtmlFilter</SPAN></A> |
| class. |
| </P> |
| |
| <H3><A name="junit">Creating JUnit/TestNG Tests</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| Transforming test cases into JUnit or TestNG code is a capability that is built into the <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command. How does it work? |
| Just add the <SPAN class="code">-J</SPAN> option, and Tcases will automatically writes test case definitions in the form of Java code for |
| a JUnit test. The same code works for TestNG, too. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Here's a simple example. Try out these commands: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > cd <I><tcases-release-dir></I> <BR/> |
| > cd docs/examples/xml <BR/> |
| > tcases <SPAN class="codeEmph">-J</SPAN> < find-Input.xml <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Here's what you'll see printed to standard output: |
| each test case definition has been transformed into a <SPAN class="code">@Test</SPAN> method. The name of the method |
| is based on the <SPAN class="code">Function</SPAN> name. And the Javadoc comments describe the input values for this test case. |
| Similarly, all input value assignments are shown in the body of the method. Otherwise, the |
| body of the method is empty, waiting for the implementation to be filled in by you. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> |
| /** <BR/> |
| * Tests <SPAN class="exampleEmph">{@link Examples#find find()}</SPAN> using the following inputs.<BR/> |
| * <P><BR/> |
| * <TABLE border="1" cellpadding="8"><BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH colspan=2> 0. find (Success) </TH></TR><BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH> Input Choice </TH> <TH> Value </TH></TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.size </TD> <TD> empty </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.quoted </TD> <TD> yes </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.blanks </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.embeddedQuotes </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> fileName </TD> <TD> defined </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.exists </TD> <TD> yes </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern </TD> <TD> one </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patterns </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patternsInLine </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * </TABLE><BR/> |
| * </P><BR/> |
| */<BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| @Test<BR/> |
| public void find_0()<BR/> |
| {<BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Given...</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// pattern.size = empty</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// pattern.quoted = yes</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// pattern.blanks = (not applicable)</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// pattern.embeddedQuotes = (not applicable)</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// fileName = defined</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// file.exists = yes</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern = one</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// file.contents.patterns = (not applicable)</SPAN><BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// file.contents.patternsInLine = (not applicable)</SPAN><BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// When...</SPAN><BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Then...</SPAN><BR/> |
| } <BR/> |
| ...<BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For failure test cases, the Javadoc highlights the single invalid value that defines the case. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| ...<BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> |
| /** <BR/> |
| * Tests <SPAN class="exampleEmph">{@link Examples#find find()}</SPAN> using the following inputs. <BR/> |
| * <P> <BR/> |
| * <TABLE border="1" cellpadding="8"> <BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH colspan=2> 6. find <SPAN class="exampleEmph">(<FONT color="red">Failure</FONT>)</SPAN> </TH></TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH> Input Choice </TH> <TH> Value </TH></TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.size </TD> <TD> empty </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.quoted </TD> <TD> <SPAN class="exampleEmph"><FONT color="red"> unterminated </FONT> </TD> </TR></SPAN> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.blanks </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.embeddedQuotes </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> fileName </TD> <TD> defined </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.exists </TD> <TD> yes </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern </TD> <TD> many </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patterns </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patternsInLine </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR> <BR/> |
| * </TABLE> <BR/> |
| * </P> <BR/> |
| */ <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| @Test <BR/> |
| public void find_6() <BR/> |
| { <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Given...</SPAN> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// When...</SPAN> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Then...</SPAN> <BR/> |
| } <BR/> |
| ...<BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| The <SPAN class="code">-J</SPAN> option is most useful when the <SPAN class="code">System</SPAN> corresponds to a class and each |
| <SPAN class="code">Function</SPAN> corresponds to a class method to be tested. Accordingly, the Javadoc includes an <SPAN class="code">@link</SPAN> |
| to the method-under-test, as shown above. You can customize the form of this <SPAN class="code">@link</SPAN> by defining either the |
| <SPAN class="code">class</SPAN> parameter or the <SPAN class="code">system</SPAN> parameter. For example, if you use the options "<SPAN class="code">-J -p class=MyClass</SPAN>", then the output looks like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> |
| /** <BR/> |
| * Tests <SPAN class="exampleEmph">{@link MyClass#find find()}</SPAN> using the following inputs.<BR/> |
| * <P><BR/> |
| * <TABLE border="1" cellpadding="8"><BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH colspan=2> 0. find (Success) </TH></TR><BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH> Input Choice </TH> <TH> Value </TH></TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.size </TD> <TD> empty </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.quoted </TD> <TD> yes </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.blanks </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.embeddedQuotes </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> fileName </TD> <TD> defined </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.exists </TD> <TD> yes </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern </TD> <TD> one </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patterns </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patternsInLine </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * </TABLE><BR/> |
| * </P><BR/> |
| */<BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| @Test<BR/> |
| public void find_0()<BR/> |
| {<BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Given...</SPAN><BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// When...</SPAN><BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Then...</SPAN><BR/> |
| } <BR/> |
| ...<BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Alternatively, if you use the options "<SPAN class="code">-J -p system=MySystem</SPAN>", then the output looks like this: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> |
| /** <BR/> |
| * Tests <SPAN class="exampleEmph">MySystem</SPAN> using the following inputs.<BR/> |
| * <P><BR/> |
| * <TABLE border="1" cellpadding="8"><BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH colspan=2> 0. find (Success) </TH></TR><BR/> |
| * <TR align="left"><TH> Input Choice </TH> <TH> Value </TH></TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.size </TD> <TD> empty </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.quoted </TD> <TD> yes </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.blanks </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> pattern.embeddedQuotes </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> fileName </TD> <TD> defined </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.exists </TD> <TD> yes </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.linesLongerThanPattern </TD> <TD> one </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patterns </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * <TR><TD> file.contents.patternsInLine </TD> <TD> (not applicable) </TD> </TR><BR/> |
| * </TABLE><BR/> |
| * </P><BR/> |
| */<BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| @Test<BR/> |
| public void find_0()<BR/> |
| {<BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Given...</SPAN><BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// When...</SPAN><BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment">// Then...</SPAN><BR/> |
| } <BR/> |
| ...<BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| And, if you'd rather not have input value assignments shown in the test method body, you can exclude them by adding the option |
| <NOBR><SPAN class="code">-p values=false</SPAN></NOBR>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Using the <SPAN class="code">-J</SPAN> option also changes the default output file for |
| the <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> command. Normally, when you're working with a Tcases <A href="#files">project</A>, |
| generated test case definitions are written by default to a file |
| named <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Test.xml</SPAN>. But with <SPAN class="code">-J</SPAN>, the |
| generated <SPAN class="code">@Test</SPAN> methods are written by default to a file |
| named <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}Test.java</SPAN>. Exception: if your <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}</SPAN> is |
| not a valid Java class identifier, a slightly modified form of the project name is used instead. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For example, the following command will write generated test definitions in the form of <SPAN class="code">@Test</SPAN> methods to a file named |
| <SPAN class="code">findTest.java</SPAN> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases <SPAN class="codeEmph">-J</SPAN> find <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="xslt">Using XSLT Transforms</A></H3> |
| <P> |
| The JUnit output transform is implemented using <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XSLT">XSLT</A> templates. If you've created |
| your own XSLT stylesheet to transform test case definitions, you can apply it using the <SPAN class="code">-x</SPAN> option. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For example, |
| the following command will still send its output to the default test case definition file for the |
| project, <SPAN class="code">${myProjectName}-Test.xml</SPAN>. But first it transforms the standard test |
| case definition document using the XSLT stylesheet in the <SPAN class="code">myStylesheet.xml</SPAN> file. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases <SPAN class="codeEmph">-x myStylesheet.xml</SPAN> ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| Because the transformed document is a different kind of document, you'll usually want to write it to a different type of file, |
| using the <SPAN class="code">-f</SPAN> option. |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases -x myStylesheet.xml <SPAN class="codeEmph">-f myOutputDoc.type</SPAN> ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| If your XSLT stylesheet uses parameters, you can assign them values using one or more instances of the <SPAN class="code">-p</SPAN> |
| option. For example: |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleCode"> |
| > tcases -x myStylesheet.xml <SPAN class="codeEmph">-p <I><name></I>=<I><value></I></SPAN> -f myOutputDoc ${myProjectName} <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H3><A name="annotations">Using Output Annotations</A></H3> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For a transformation to produce concrete test cases, sometimes the basic information in the input model — |
| functions, variables, and values — is not enough. You need to add extra information that is not important |
| for generating the test cases but is necessary to form the final output. That's what <EM>output |
| annotations</EM> are for. |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| An output annotation is a special property setting — a name-value pair — that you can add to various |
| elements of a system input definition. It has no effect on test cases that Tcases generates. But Tcases will |
| accumulate output annotations and attach them to the resulting system test definition document. |
| In addition, Tcases will automatically attach <A href="#annotationProperties">output annotations listing the properties of each |
| <SPAN class="code">TestCase</SPAN></A>. |
| From there, your XSLT output transform can use these output annotations to complete tests cases in their final form. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="annotationExample">Example: Generating test code</A></H4> |
| |
| <P> |
| For an example of how this works, consider the following input model for a graphics function involving shapes |
| with different properties, such as size and color. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="addShape"> <BR/> |
| <Input> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Type"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="SQUARE"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="CIRCLE"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="LINE"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Size"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="1"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="10"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="100"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Color"> <BR/> |
| <Value name="red"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="green"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="blue"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Suppose we wanted to transform test cases generated from this input model into executable code. To do so, we annotate this input model with |
| extra <SPAN class="code">Has</SPAN> elements. |
|
|
| Each <SPAN class="code">Has</SPAN> element defines an output annotation with a <SPAN class="code">name</SPAN> |
| and a <SPAN class="code">value</SPAN>. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <P> |
| For example, let's add the following output annotations. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="addShape"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Function annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="pageType" value="Page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageName" value="page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageValue" value="new Page()"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| <BR/> |
| <Input> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Type"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Variable binding annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="varType" value="Shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varEval" value="new Shape"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| <BR/> |
| <Value name="SQUARE"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="CIRCLE"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="LINE"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Size"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> <!-- Variable binding annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="varType" value="int"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="size"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setSize"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| <BR/> |
| <Value name="1"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="10"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="100"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Color"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> <!-- Variable binding annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="varType" value="String"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="color"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setColor"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| <BR/> |
| <Value name="red"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="green"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="blue"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Now when we run <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN>, we see that these output annotations have been propagated to the |
| generated test cases. |
| </P> |
| |
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <TestCases system="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="addShape"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> <!-- Function annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="pageName" value="page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageType" value="Page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageValue" value="new Page()"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| <TestCase id="0"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> <!-- Function annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="pageName" value="page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageType" value="Page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageValue" value="new Page()"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Type" value="SQUARE"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> <!-- Variable binding annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="varEval" value="new Shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="Shape"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Size" value="1"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setSize"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="size"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="int"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Color" value="red"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setColor"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="color"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="String"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </TestCases> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| So, what's so special about these annotated test cases? In one sense, nothing — they describe exactly |
| the same set of input variable choices as before. But they set the stage for the next phase of test case |
| generation, using an output transform. For example, by |
| applying <SPAN class="code">annotations-Transform.xsl</SPAN> |
| (shown <A href="examples/xml/annotations-Transform.xsl">here</A> and in the <SPAN class="code">docs/examples/xml</SPAN> |
| directory), we can use these annotations to transform the system test definition document into executable |
| source code that looks like this: |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| public class Examples { <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| @Test <BR/> |
| public void test_addShape_0() { <BR/> |
| Page page = new Page(); <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| Shape shape = new Shape(SQUARE); <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| int size = 1; <BR/> |
| shape.setSize(size); <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| String color = "red"; <BR/> |
| shape.setColor(color); <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| page.addShape(shape); <BR/> |
| } <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| } <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="annotationHow">How it works</A></H4> |
|
|
| <P> |
| We can add the following kinds of output annotations. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <UL> |
| <LI> |
| <B>System annotations</B> are created by adding a <SPAN class="code">Has</SPAN> element |
| to a <SPAN class="code">System</SPAN> element. Each system annotation is transferred |
| to the output document by applying it to the |
| top-level <SPAN class="code">TestCases</SPAN> element. In addition, each system |
| annotation is added to |
| all <SPAN class="code">Function</SPAN> and <SPAN class="code">TestCase</SPAN> elements. |
| </LI> |
| <P/> |
| <LI> |
| <B>Function annotations</B> are created by adding a <SPAN class="code">Has</SPAN> element |
| to a <SPAN class="code">Function</SPAN> element. Each function annotation is transferred |
| to the output document by applying it to the |
| corresponding output <SPAN class="code">Function</SPAN> element. In addition, each function |
| annotation is added to all <SPAN class="code">TestCase</SPAN> elements within its scope. |
| Annotations for a <SPAN class="code">Function</SPAN> override any annotations of the same name defined for |
| the <SPAN class="code">System</SPAN>. |
| </LI> |
| <P/> |
| <LI><B>Variable binding annotations</B> are created by adding a <SPAN class="code">Has</SPAN> element to |
| a <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> or a <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN> element. You can also create a |
| variable binding annotation that applies to a group of variables by adding a <SPAN class="code">Has</SPAN> |
| element to an <SPAN class="code">Input</SPAN>. Or you can create a variable binding annotation that is |
| value-specific by adding a <SPAN class="code">Has</SPAN> element to |
| a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> element. Each variable binding annotation is transferred to the output |
| document by applying it to all <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN> elements within its scope. |
| |
| Annotations for a <SPAN class="code">Value</SPAN> override any annotations of the same name defined for |
| a <SPAN class="code">Var</SPAN>, which override annotations for a <SPAN class="code">VarSet</SPAN>, which |
| override annotations for an |
| <SPAN class="code">Input</SPAN>. |
| </LI> |
| </UL> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Why are system and function annotations also copied to all of the associated <SPAN class="code">TestCase</SPAN> |
| elements? Because such annotations can have multiple purposes. In some cases, these annotations can be used to |
| form the corresponding level of the transformed output document. In other cases, these annotations can be used to |
| define system- or function-wide defaults for values used to form individual concrete test cases. |
| </P> |
|
|
| <H4><A name="annotationProperties">Property annotations</A></H4> |
| <P> |
| The <A href="#properties">value properties</A> that characterize a test case can be useful meta-data for further transformations of test case data. |
| For this reason, Tcases automatically attaches them to each generated <SPAN class="code">TestCase</SPAN> using a special output annotation |
| named "properties". |
| </P> |
| <P> |
| For example, if we add the following value properties to our input model: |
| </P> |
|
|
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <System name="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="addShape"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Function annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageType" value="Page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageName" value="page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageValue" value="new Page()"/> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Input> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Type"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"><!-- Variable binding annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="Shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varEval" value="new Shape"/> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Value name="SQUARE"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="CIRCLE"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="LINE" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">property="1D"</SPAN> /> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Size"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> <!-- Variable binding annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="int"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="size"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setSize"/> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Value name="1"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="10"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="100" <SPAN class="exampleEmph">property="Large"</SPAN>/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Var name="Color"> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleComment"> <!-- Variable binding annotations --></SPAN> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="String"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="color"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setColor"/> <BR/> |
| <BR/> |
| <Value name="red"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="green"/> <BR/> |
| <Value name="blue"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </System> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
|
|
| <P> |
| Then when we run <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN>, we see the following "properties" annotation added to the output: |
| </P> |
| |
| <DIV class="exampleDoc"> |
| <TestCases system="Examples"> <BR/> |
| <Function name="addShape"> <BR/> |
| ... <BR/> |
| <TestCase id="2"> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageName" value="page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageType" value="Page"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="pageValue" value="new Page()"/> <BR/> |
| <SPAN class="exampleEmph"> |
| <Has name="properties" value="1D,Large"/> <BR/> |
| </SPAN> |
| <Input type="arg"> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Type" value="LINE"> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varEval" value="new Shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="shape"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="Shape"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Size" value="100"> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setSize"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="size"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="int"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| <Var name="Color" value="blue"> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varApply" value="setColor"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varName" value="color"/> <BR/> |
| <Has name="varType" value="String"/> <BR/> |
| </Var> <BR/> |
| </Input> <BR/> |
| </TestCase> <BR/> |
| </Function> <BR/> |
| </TestCases> <BR/> |
| </DIV> |
| |
| <H2><A name="reference">Further Reference</A></H2> |
| <P> |
| Want more technical details about Tcases? Here are links to some additional information. |
|
|
| <UL> |
| <LI> The <SPAN class="code">find</SPAN> command example (<A href="examples/xml/find-Input.xml">XML</A>, <A href="examples/json/find-Input.json">JSON</A>)</LI><P/> |
| <LI> The <SPAN class="code">tcases</SPAN> <A href="api/org/cornutum/tcases/TcasesCommand.Options.html">command line</A></LI><P/> |
| <LI> Document schemas |
| <UL> |
| <LI> XML |
| <UL> |
| <LI> <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/system-input.xsd">System input definition</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/generators.xsd">Generator definitions</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/system-test.xsd">System test definition</A> </LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> JSON |
| <UL> |
| <LI> <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/system-input-schema.json">System input definition</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/generators-schema.json">Generator definitions</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/system-test-schema.json">System test definition</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="http://www.cornutum.org/tcases/project-schema.json">Test project definition</A> </LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI><P/> |
| </UL> |
| </LI><P/> |
| <LI> Related testing techniques |
| <UL> |
| <LI> <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-box_testing">Black-box test design</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_partitioning">Equivalence class partitioning</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-pairs_testing">Pairwise testing</A> </LI> |
| <LI> <A href="http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/acts/index.html">Combinatorial testing</A> </LI> |
| </UL> |
| </LI><P/> |
| </UL> |
| </P> |
|
|
| </DIV> |
|
|
| </BODY> |
| </HTML> |
|
|