Reducing the effects of infeasible paths in branch testing

ABSTRACT

Branch testing, which is one of the most widely used methods for program testing, see White [1] for example, involves executing a selected set of program paths in an attempt to exercise all program branches. Criteria for selecting such paths have, to date, received scant attention in the literature and it is the issue of developing a suitable path selection strategy to which this paper is addressed. Specifically, a selection strategy, which aims at reducing the number of infeasible paths generated during the branch testing exercise is proposed. The strategy is founded on an assertion concerning the likely feasibility of program paths. Statistical evidence in support of the assertion is provided, a method implementing the strategy is described, and the results obtained from applying the method to a set of program units are reported and analysed.

REFERENCES

• 1: White, L. J. "Software Testing and Verification", Advances in Computers, M. C. Yovits cd., 26, 1987.
• 2: Howden W. E. "Empirical Studies of Software Validation", Tutorial: Software Testing and Validation Techniques, E. Miller and W. E. Howden eds., IEEE, 1978.
• 3: Yates, D. F. and Hennell M. A. "An Approach to Branch Testing" Proc 11th International Workshop on Graph Theoretic Techniques in Computer Science, Wurtzburg, 1985.
• 4: Chatfield, C. " Statistics for Technology ", Chapman and Hall, New York, 1970.
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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.4 Software/Program Verification
          Subjects: Validation

General Terms:
Reliability, Verification