Consistency techniques for interprocedural test data generation

Abstract

This paper presents a novel approach for automated test data generation of imperative programs containing integer, boolean and/or float variables. It extends our previous work to programs with procedure calls and arrays. A test program (with procedure calls) is represented by an Interprocedural Control Flow Graph (ICFG). The classical testing criteria (statement, branch, and path coverage), widely used in unit testing, are extended to the ICFG. For path coverage, the specified path is transformed into a path constraint. Our previous consistency techniques, the core idea behind the solving of path constraints, have been extended to handle procedural calls and operations with arrays. For statement (and branch) coverage, paths reaching the specified node or branch are dynamically constructed. The search for suitable paths is guided by the interprocedural control dependences of the program. The search is also pruned by a new specialized consistency filter. Finally, test data are generated by the application of the proposed path coverage algorithm. A prototype has been implemented. Experiments show the feasibility of the approach.