CUI Abbottabad
Department of Computer Science
SOFTWARE TESTING
Lecture 7 & 8
Whitebox Testing Technique
Control Flow Testing
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WHITEBOX TESTING
Whitebox testing is also known as structural testing.
In Whitebox testing, the software is viewed as a white box and test
cases are determined from the implementation of the software.
Whitebox testing techniques include control flow testing and data
flow testing.
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WHITEBOX TESTING
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CONTROL FLOW TESTING
Control flow testing uses the control structure of a program to develop
the test cases for the program.
The control structure of program is represented by control flow graph.
Control-flow testing techniques are based on carefully selecting a set of
test paths through the program. The set of paths chosen is used to
achieve a certain measure of testing thoroughness.
E.g., pick enough paths to assure that every source statement is
executed as least once.
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CONTROL FLOW TESTING
For another set of input data, the unit may execute a different path.
1. if(a>b)
2. {a}
3. Else if (b>a)
4. {b}
The main idea in control flow testing is to appropriately select a few paths
in a program unit and observe whether or not the selected paths produce
the expected outcome. By executing a few paths in a program unit, the
programmer tries to assess the behavior of the entire program unit.
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PATH
Path: A sequence of statement execution consisting as a sequence of
computation and decision nodes that begins at an entry node and ends at an
exit node.
Structurally, a path is a sequence of statements in a program unit, whereas,
semantically, it is an execution instance of the unit.
We also specify whether control exits a decision node via its true or false
branch while including it in a path.
Linearly Independent Path
A path through the system is Linearly Independent from other paths only if it
includes some segment or edge that is not covered in the other path.
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PATH SELECTION CRITERIA
Select paths such that every statement is executed at least once.
Select paths such that every conditional statement, for example, an if()
statement, evaluates to true and false at least once on different
occasions.
A conditional statement may evaluate to true in one path and false in a
second path.
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PROCESS OF GENERATING TEST INPUT DATA FOR
CONTROL FLOW TESTING
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CONTROL FLOW GRAPH (CFG)
Control Flow Graph is formed from the node, edge, decision node,
junction node to specify all possible execution path.
The control flow graph G = (N, E) of a program consists of a set of nodes N
and a set of edge E.
Notations used for Control Flow Graph
Node (N) : Each node represents a set of program statements.
Edge (E) : An edge is represented as direction arrows in which the
nodes are connected to other nodes. It is responsible for connecting
the first node until the end node.
Decision Node: A decision is a program point at which the control
can deviate. (e.g., if and case statements).
Merge/Junction node: A junction is a program point where the
multiple control branches merge. (e.g., end if, end loop, goto label) 9
NOTATIONS IN CFG
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CFG EXAMPLE
1. if A = 10 then
2. if B > C
3. A=B
4. else A = C
5. endif
6. endif
7. print A, B, C
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CFG EXAMPLE
1. if A = 10 then
2. if B > C
3. A=B
4. else A = C
5. endif
6. endif
7. print A, B, C
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CFG ANOTHER EXAMPLE
1. int evensum(int i)
2. {
3. int sum = 0;
4. while (i <= 10) {
5. if (i/2 == 0)
6. sum = sum + i;
7. i++;
8. }
9. return sum;
10. }
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CFG ANOTHER EXAMPLE
1. int evensum(int i)
2. {
3. int sum = 0;
4. while (i <= 10) {
5. if (i/2 == 0)
6. sum = sum + i;
7. i++;
8. }
9. return sum;
10. }
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TEST CASES
A test case is a complete path from the entry node to the exit
node of a control flow graph.
A test coverage criterion measures the extent to which a set of
test cases covers a program.
Coverage refers to the extent to which a given testing activity has
satisfied its objectives.
WHITEBOX TEST TECHNIQUES
All Path coverage
Statement coverage
Branch coverage
Decision coverage
Condition coverage or Predicate coverage
Multiple condition coverage
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PATH COVERAGE
Path coverage is concerned with linearly independent paths
through the code.
Every complete path in the program has been executed at
least once.
A loop usually has an infinite number of complete paths.
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WELL KNOWN PATHS’ SELECTION
CRITERIA
Select all paths.
Select paths to achieve complete statement coverage.
Select paths to achieve complete branch coverage.
Select paths to achieve predicate coverage.
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ALL PATHS COVERAGE CRITERIA
All possible paths from input to output.
Cover positive as well as negative scenario of methods/conditions.
Any program includes, multiple entry and exit points. Testing each
of these points is a challenging & time-consuming.
To reduce the redundant tests and to achieve maximum test
coverage, basis path testing is used.
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BASIS PATH TESTING
Basis path testing is defined as a path through the program from the start
node until the end node that introduces at least one new set of
processing statements or a new condition (i.e., new nodes)
Must move along at least one edge that has not been traversed before by
a previous path
One can create a control flow graph and calculate its cyclomatic
complexity, which is used to determine the number of independent
paths.
With the cyclomatic complexity, one can determine the minimum number
of test cases needed for each independent path of the flow graph.
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STEPS FOR BASIS PATH TESTING
Draw a control graph (to determine different program paths)
CalculateCyclomatic complexity (metrics to determine the number
of independent paths)
Find a basis set of paths
Generate test cases to exercise each path
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BASIS PATH TESTING
•Path 1: 1,2,3,5,6, 7
•Path 2: 1,2,4,5,6, 7
•Path 3: 1, 6, 7
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PATH COVERAGE EXAMPLE
FUNCTION TO COMPUTE AVERAGE OF SELECTED INTEGERS IN AN ARRAY
1. Value[]={2,3,4,8,7,-999,0,6,5,3}
2. public static double ReturnAverage(int value[],int AS, int MIN, int MAX)
3. int i, ti, tv, sum; double av;
4. i = 0; ti = 0; tv = 0; sum = 0;
5. while ( ti< AS && value[i] != -999) {
6. ti++;// total index … ti=ti+1
7. if (value[i] >= MIN && value[i] <= MAX) {
8. tv++; total value
9. sum = sum + value[i];
10. } i++; }
11. if (tv > 0)
12. av = (double)sum/tv;
13. else av = (double) -999;
14. return (av); 23
15. }
PATH COVERAGE EXAMPLE
FUNCTION TO COMPUTE AVERAGE OF SELECTED INTEGERS IN AN ARRAY
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FUNCTION TO COMPUTE AVERAGE OF SELECTED INTEGERS IN AN ARRAY
EXAMPLES OF PATHS IN CFG
Path 1 1-2-3(F)-10(T)-12-13
Path 2 1-2-3(F)-10(F)-11-13
Path 3 1-2-3(T)-4(T)-5-6(T)-7(T)-8-9-3(F)-10(T)-12-13
Path 4 1-2-3(T)-4(T)-5-6(T)-7(T)-8-9-3(T)-4(T)-5-6(T)-7(T)-8-9-3(F)-
10(T)-12-13
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STATEMENT COVERAGE / NODE
COVERAGE
Statement coverage refers to executing individual program statements
and observing the outcome.
100% statement coverage has been achieved if all the statements have
been executed at least once.
Complete statement coverage is the weakest coverage criterion in
program testing.
Any test suite that achieves less than statement coverage for new
software is considered to be unacceptable.
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STATEMENT COVERAGE METHOD
Visiting one or more nodes representing the statement, more
precisely, selecting a feasible entry–exit path that includes the
corresponding nodes.
A single entry–exit path includes many nodes, we need to select just
a few paths to cover all the nodes of a CFG.
Select short paths.
Select paths of increasingly longer length. Unfold a loop several times
if there is a need.
Select arbitrarily long, “complex” paths.
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STATEMENT COVERAGE
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STATEMENT COVERAGE EXAMPLE
1) print (int a, int b) {
2) int sum = a+b;
3) if (sum>0)
4) print ("This is a positive result")
5) else
6) print ("This is negative result")
7) }
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STATEMENT COVERAGE EXAMPLE SCENARIO 1:
Scenario 1:
If a = 5, b = 4
1) print (int a, int b) {
2) int sum = a+b;
3) if (sum>0)
4) print ("This is a positive result")
5) else
6) print ("This is negative result")
7) }
Here;
1.Total number of statements = 7
2.Number of executed statements = 5
Statement coverage = 5/7*100
Statement coverage = 500/7 30
Statement coverage = 71%
STATEMENT COVERAGE EXAMPLE SCENARIO 2:
Scenario 2:
If a = -2, b = -5
1) print (int a, int b) {
2) int sum = a+b;
3) if (sum>0)
4) print ("This is a positive result")
5) else
6) print ("This is negative result")
7) }
Here;
1.Total number of statements = 7
2.Number of executed statements = ?
Statement coverage = ?
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STATEMENT COVERAGE
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STATEMENT COVERAGE
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BRANCH COVERAGE /EDGE
COVERAGE
Complete branch coverage means selecting a number of paths such that
every branch/edge is included in at least one path.
A branch is an outgoing edge from a node.
All the rectangle nodes have at most one outgoing branch (edge).
The exit node of a CFG does not have an outgoing branch.
All the diamond nodes have two outgoing branches.
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BRANCH COVERAGE EXAMPLE
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BRANCH COVERAGE EXAMPLE
Path 1 - A1-B2-C4-D6-E8
Path 2 - A1-B3-5-D7
Branch Coverage (BC) = Number of paths
=2
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BRANCH COVERAGE EXAMPLE
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DECISION COVERAGE
Decision coverage measures whether each possible outcome of the
decision statement has been executed at least once during testing.
A decision statement is a statement in the code that involves a choice
between two or more possible outcomes. E.g., an if-else statement
For instance, if there is an if-else statement in the code, decision coverage
requires that both the if and else branches are executed at least once
during testing.
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DECISION COVERAGE
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DECISION COVERAGE
a=3
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DECISION COVERAGE
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CYCLOMATIC COMPLEXITY
Complexity is a software metric that give the quantitative measure
of logical complexity of the program.
The Cyclomatic complexity defines the number of independent
paths in the basis set of the program that provides the upper
bound for the number of tests that must be conducted to ensure
that all the statements have been executed at least once.
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METHODS TO COMPUTE CYCLOMATIC
COMPLEXITY
Method 1: Total number of regions in the flow graph is a
Cyclomatic complexity.
Method 2: The Cyclomatic complexity, V (G) for a flow graph G can
be defined as V (G) = E - N + 2
Where: E is total number of edges and N is the total number of
nodes in the flow graph.
Method 3: The Cyclomatic complexity V (G) for a flow graph G can
be defined as V (G) = P + 1
Where: P is the total number of predicate nodes contained in the
flow G.
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CONTROL FLOW GRAPH IS REPRESENTED DIFFERENTLY
FOR CONDITIONAL AND LOOPS STATEMENTS
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TEST ORACLE
To verify the execution is correct, we need to compare the actual
outcome with the expected outcome.
Test oracle is a tool that can return the expected outcome for a given
input vector.
An executable specification of a program can be used as a test oracle for
that program.
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REFERENCES
Book:
The Art of Software Testing, Second Edition, Glenford J.
Myers
Chapter 4
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