Components integration-effect graph: a black box testing and test case generation technique for component-based software

Abstract

Testing plays a vital role in the evolution and establishment of any quality product as well as any quality system. Testing is essential to prove the correctness (valid output when input is valid, and proper handling techniques when input is invalid) of the system and it is crucial to prove the compatibility of the system with the operating environment. In component-based software systems, various components interact with each other to access as well as provide required functionalities. In such complex systems testing is one of the most important activities. Since component-based software engineering relies on the concept of “use of pre-built and pre-tested components”, our focus here, is on functional testing rather than structural testing. Functional testing emphasizes the behavioural attributes of the components when they interact with each other. Components interact through operands and parameters. In this paper we suggest functional testing strategy and test case generation technique for component-based software. When two components are integrated then they generate some specific effect. This strategy is named Integration-effect graph. This strategy is a black-box technique as it covers the input and output domains only. We have used the graph theory notations to show the integration and interaction among the components.