Computer method and system for automatically creating tests for checking software

• US 20070240127A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Scott, David, Roques, Olivier
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/136
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/315 Object-oriented languages

Abstract

Computer system and method automatically generates a test source code for checking validity of an application written in an object oriented language. The application includes objects accessible through an interface implementing programming rules and object behavior rules. For each object, the invention extracts object methods and attributes of the object interface which are impacted by the object behavior rules and extracts the object identification. The invention fills the variable fields of a source code template with the extracted information. The template non variable source code is in conformance with the programming rules and implements a scenario for checking a set of object behavior rules; thus the filled template forms a generated test source code. For distributed applications, the specifications may be EJB or CORBA and the Test Generator uses templates for checking the life-cycle (creation, persistency, removal) of deployed objects.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating a test source code for checking validity of a subject application written in an object oriented language, the subject application having objects accessible through an interface implementing programming rules and object behavior rules, said method comprising the steps of:

a—

selecting one of the objects of the subject application and reading information defining the one object;

b—

using computer automation, extracting from the selected object a definition, object methods and attributes of the object interface which are impacted by the object behavior rules and object identification; and

c—

using computer automation, filling the variable fields of a template of source code with the extracted information, said template non variable source code being in conformance with the programming rules and implementing a scenario for checking a set of object behavior rules, said filled template forming a generated test source code.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

the step of extracting the selected object definition includes extracting from interfaces and descriptors defining the object:

a creation method, a find method, a remove method, a setter method, a getter method, the object name and object external name; and

,

the step of filling the variable fields includes use of a template non variable source code being in conformance with the programming rules for development of a distributed application and implementing a scenario for checking a set of object behavior rules of a distributed application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of filling the variable fields includes using a template non variable source code implementing a scenario for checking the object life-cycle rules.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of filling the variable fields includes using a template non variable source code implementing a scenario for checking object life-cycle rules of EJB or CORBA specifications.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of filling the variable fields includes using a template non variable source code which implements a scenario for checking creation the object.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the computer implemented steps of:

creating a deployable object;

trying to find an object with the same key;

checking that the same object has been found by checking it has the same persisted fields;

trying to create another object with the same key;

checking that an error or an exception is raised; and

removing the object.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of filling the variable fields includes using a template non variable source code which implements a scenario for checking persistency of the object.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising computer implemented steps of:

trying to create a new deployable object;

for each object field;

starting a transaction;

setting the field to a random value;

committing the transaction;

trying to find an object with the same given key;

getting the same field value;

checking that the value are the same; and

removing the object.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of filling the variable fields includes using a template non variable source code which implements a scenario for checking removal of the object.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising the computer implemented steps of:

trying to create a new deployable object;

removing the object;

trying to find an object with the same key;

checking that an error or an exception is raised;

trying to remove the object twice; and

checking that an error or an exception is raised.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of filling the variable fields includes using a template non variable source code which implements a scenario for checking robustness of the object.

12. The method of claim 2 further comprising the computer implemented steps of:

developing a client application;

compiling and linking the client application and the generated tests;

executing the tests as a client application interfacing the server side of the distributed application; and

collecting test results.

13. A computer program product for automatically generating a test source code for checking validity of a subject application, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

(a) select one object of the subject application and read information defining the object, wherein the subject application is written in an object oriented language and has objects accessible through an interface implementing programming rules and object behavior rules;

(b) extract from the selected object a definition, object methods and attributes of the object interface which are impacted by the object behavior rules and object identification;

(c) fill fields of a source code template with the extracted information, said template non variable source code being in conformance with the programming rules and implementing a scenario for checking a set of object behavior rules, said filled template forming a generated test source code.

14. A computer program product as claimed in claim 13 wherein

the step of extracting the selected object definition includes extracting from interfaces and descriptors defining the objects a creation method, a find method, a remove method, a setter method, a getter method, the object name and object external name;

and,

the step of filling fields includes use of a template non variable source code being in conformance with the programming rules for development of a distributed application and implementing a scenario for checking a set of object behavior rules of a distributed application.

15. A computer program product as claimed in claim 13 wherein the template implements any combination of:

a scenario for checking the object life-cycle rules,

a scenario for checking the life-cycle rules of EJB or CORBA specifications;

a scenario for checking creation of the object,

a scenario for checking persistency of the object,

a scenario for checking removal of the object, and

a scenario for checking robustness of the object.

16. A computer program product as claimed in claim 13 wherein the computer readable program when executed further causes the computer to:

develop a client application;

compile and link the client application and the generated tests;

execute the tests as a client application interfacing the server side of the distributed application; and

collect test results.

17. Computer apparatus for automatically generating a test source code for checking validity of a subject application comprising:

means for selecting an object of the subject application and reading information defining the object, wherein the subject application is written in an object oriented language and has objects accessible through an interface implementing programming rules and object behavior rules;

means for automatically extracting from the selected object a definition, object methods and attributes of the object interface which are impacted by the object behavior rules and object identification; and

means for automatically filling fields of a template of source code with the extracted information, said template non variable source code being in conformance with the programming rules and implementing a scenario for checking a set of object behavior rules, said filled template forming a generated test source code.

18. A computer program product as claimed in claim 17 wherein the extraction means further extracts from interfaces and descriptors defining the object a creation method, a find method, a remove method, a setter method, a getter method, the object name and object external name.

19. A computer program product as claimed in claim 18 wherein the filling means utilizes a template non-variable source code in conformance with programming rules for development of a distributed application, and the template implements a scenario for checking a set of object behavior rules of a distributed application.

20. A computer program product as claimed in claim 17 wherein the template implements any combination of:

a scenario for checking the object life-cycle rules,

a scenario for checking the life-cycle rules of EJB or CORBA specifications;

a scenario for checking creation of the object,

a scenario for checking persistency of the object,

a scenario for checking removal of the object, and

a scenario for checking robustness of the object.