Component-Based Test Case Generation and Prioritization Using an Improved Genetic Algorithm

Abstract

Developing test cases is the most challenging and crucial step in the software testing process. The initial test data must be optimized using a strong optimization technique due to many testing scenarios and poor testing effectiveness. Test prioritization is essential for testing the developed software products in a production line with a restricted budget in terms of time and money. A good understanding of the trade-off between costs (e.g. time and resources needed) and efficiency (e.g. component coverage) is necessary to prioritize test case scenarios for one or more software products. So, this paper proposes an efficient Multi-objective Test Case Generation and Prioritization using an Improved Genetic Algorithm (MTCGP-IGA) in Component-based Software Development (CSD). A random search-based method for creating and prioritizing multi-objective tests has been employed utilizing numerous cost and efficacy criteria. Specifically, the multi-objective optimization comprises maximizing the Prioritized Range of test cases (PR), Pairwise Coverage of Characteristics (PCC), Fault-Finding Capability (FFC), and minimizing Total Implementation Cost (TIC). For this test prioritizing problem, a unique fitness function is constructed with cost-effectiveness metrics. IGA is a robust search technique that exhibits excellent benefits and significant efficacy in resolving challenging issues, including ample space, multiple-peak, stochastic, and universal optimization. Relying on the use of IGA, this paper classifies, computes the objective function, introduces the Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) method, evaluates each branch’s proximity on the handling route, and arranges the path set to get the best answer. The outcomes demonstrate that the proposed MTCGP-IGA with NSGA-II performed the best than other baseline algorithms in terms of prioritizing the test cases (mean value of 195.2), PCC (mean score of 0.7828), and FFC (mean score of 0.8136).