GENERATING TEST CASES FOR FUNCTIONAL TESTING OF A SOFTWARE APPLICATION

• US 20130263089A1
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIIT Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NIIT Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: Narasimhan, Eswaran, Banerjee, Udayan
• Granted Patent: US 8,887,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention generates test cases for functional testing of a software application. In one embodiment, rules specifying corresponding patterns in a natural language and corresponding templates are maintained. Each pattern contains corresponding variables and words of the natural language together in an ordered sequence. On receiving a design document containing statements in the natural language, a first statement is determined to match a first pattern specified in a first rule. A match is deemed to exist only if the words in the first pattern exist in the first statement in the same corresponding positions of the ordered sequence, and if the first statement also contains values for each of the variables specified in the first pattern. A set of test cases is generated based on a first template specified in the first rule and the values for each of the variables.

Claims

1. A method of generating test cases for functional testing of a software application, said method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of rules, each rule specifying a corresponding one of a plurality of patterns in a natural language and a corresponding template, wherein each of said plurality of patterns comprises a corresponding set of variables and corresponding words of the natural language together in an ordered sequence, wherein each template indicates a corresponding set of test cases;

receiving a design document containing a plurality of statements, each statement containing words of said natural language;

determining a first statement of said plurality of statements matching a first pattern specified in a first rule of said plurality of rules, wherein a match is deemed to exist if the words in the first pattern exist in the first statement in the same corresponding positions of said ordered sequence, and if said first statement also contains values for each of said corresponding set of variables specified in said first pattern; and

generating a set of test cases indicated by a first template specified in said first rule based on the values for each of said corresponding set of variables.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first pattern comprises a first set of variables and a first set of words in a first ordered sequence, wherein said first ordered sequence associates a corresponding ordinal position for each of said first set of variables and said first set of words,

wherein said determining determines that said first statement matches said first pattern if said first statement also contains said first set of word in the same corresponding ordinal positions and if said each of said first set of variables can be matched to corresponding one or more words representing said values in the same corresponding ordinal positions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first template contains a plurality of instructions, each instruction being defined with an instance of corresponding one of said first set of variables, wherein said generating comprises substituting each instance of the corresponding variable with a corresponding value identified in said determining.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first template further specifies a set of local variables and corresponding values, wherein said generating generates said set of test cases based on said first template, the values for each of said corresponding set of variables and the corresponding values for said set of local variables.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said first pattern is of the form “

$1 A B $2”

, where $1 and $2 are variables in said corresponding set of variables and A and B are words of said natural language, wherein the positions of $1, A, B and $2 according to said ordered sequence are 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively,

wherein said determining determines that said first statement matches said first pattern if said first statement is one of the forms “

C A B E” and

“

C D A B E”

, wherein C, D and E are words of said the natural language, since the positions of the words A and B are 2 and 3 as specified in said first pattern with the variable $1 having the respective values “

C” and

“

C D” and

the variable $2 having the value “

E”

.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said determining determines that a second statement of said plurality of statements having one of the forms “

C D B A E” and

“

C A D B E”

does not match said first pattern, since the relative positions of the words A and B are 3, 2 and 2, 4 respectively, and not 2, 3 as specified in the pattern.

7. A machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for causing a system to generate test cases for functional testing of a software application, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by said one or more processors contained in said system causes said system to perform the actions of:

maintaining a plurality of rules, each rule specifying a corresponding one of a plurality of patterns in a natural language and a corresponding template, wherein each of said plurality of patterns comprises a corresponding set of variables and corresponding words of the natural language together in an ordered sequence, wherein each template indicates a corresponding set of test cases;

receiving a design document containing a plurality of statements, each statement containing words of said natural language;

determining a first statement of said plurality of statements matching a first pattern specified in a first rule of said plurality of rules, wherein a match is deemed to exist if the words in the first pattern exist in the first statement in the same corresponding positions of said ordered sequence, and if said first statement also contains values for each of said corresponding set of variables specified in said first pattern; and

generating a set of test cases indicated by a first template specified in said first rule based on the values for each of said corresponding set of variables.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein said first pattern comprises a first set of variables and a first set of words in a first ordered sequence, wherein said first ordered sequence associates a corresponding ordinal position for each of said first set of variables and said first set of words,

wherein said determining determines that said first statement matches said first pattern if said first statement also contains said first set of word in the same corresponding ordinal positions and if said each of said first set of variables can be matched to corresponding one or more words representing said values in the same corresponding ordinal positions.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein said first template contains a plurality of instructions, each instruction being defined with an instance of corresponding one of said first set of variables, wherein said generating comprises substituting each instance of the corresponding variable with a corresponding value identified in said determining.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein said first template further specifies a set of local variables and corresponding values, wherein said generating generates said set of test cases based on said first template, the values for each of said corresponding set of variables and the corresponding values for said set of local variables.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein said first pattern is of the form “

$1 A B $2”

, where $1 and $2 are variables in said corresponding set of variables and A and B are words of said natural language, wherein the positions of $1, A, B and $2 according to said ordered sequence are 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively,

wherein said determining determines that said first statement matches said first pattern if said first statement is one of the forms “

C A B E” and

“

C D A B E”

, wherein C, D and E are words of said the natural language, since the positions of the words A and B are 2 and 3 as specified in said first pattern with the variable $1 having the respective values “

C” and

“

C D” and

the variable $2 having the value “

E”

.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein said determining determines that a second statement of said plurality of statements having one of the forms “

C D B A E” and

“

C A D B E”

does not match said first pattern, since the relative positions of the words A and B are 3, 2 and 2, 4 respectively, and not 2, 3 as specified in the pattern.

13. A digital processing system comprising:

a processor;

a random access memory (RAM);

a machine readable medium to store one or more instructions, which when retrieved into said RAM and executed by said processor causes said digital processing system to generate test cases for functional testing of a software application, said digital processing system performing the actions of;

maintaining a plurality of rules, each rule specifying a corresponding one of a plurality of patterns in a natural language and a corresponding template, wherein each of said plurality of patterns comprises a corresponding set of variables and corresponding words of the natural language together in an ordered sequence, wherein each template indicates a corresponding set of test cases;

receiving a design document containing a plurality of statements, each statement containing words of said natural language;

determining a first statement of said plurality of statements matching a first pattern specified in a first rule of said plurality of rules, wherein a match is deemed to exist if the words in the first pattern exist in the first statement in the same corresponding positions of said ordered sequence, and if said first statement also contains values for each of said corresponding set of variables specified in said first pattern; and

generating a set of test cases indicated by a first template specified in said first rule based on the values for each of said corresponding set of variables.

14. The digital processing system of claim 13, wherein said first pattern comprises a first set of variables and a first set of words in a first ordered sequence, wherein said first ordered sequence associates a corresponding ordinal position for each of said first set of variables and said first set of words,

wherein said determining determines that said first statement matches said first pattern if said first statement also contains said first set of word in the same corresponding ordinal positions and if said each of said first set of variables can be matched to corresponding one or more words representing said values in the same corresponding ordinal positions.

15. The digital processing system of claim 14, wherein said first template contains a plurality of instructions, each instruction being defined with an instance of corresponding one of said first set of variables, wherein said generating comprises substituting each instance of the corresponding variable with a corresponding value identified in said determining.

16. The digital processing system of claim 15, wherein said first template further specifies a set of local variables and corresponding values, wherein said generating generates said set of test cases based on said first template, the values for each of said corresponding set of variables and the corresponding values for said set of local variables.

17. The digital processing system of claim 15, wherein said first pattern is of the form “

$1 A B $2”

, where $1 and $2 are variables in said corresponding set of variables and A and B are words of said natural language, wherein the positions of $1, A, B and $2 according to said ordered sequence are 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively,

wherein said determining determines that said first statement matches said first pattern if said first statement is one of the forms “

C A B E” and

“

C D A B E”

, wherein C, D and E are words of said the natural language, since the positions of the words A and B are 2 and 3 as specified in said first pattern with the variable $1 having the respective values “

C” and

“

C D” and

the variable $2 having the value “

E”

.

18. The digital processing system of claim 17, wherein said determining determines that a second statement of said plurality of statements having one of the forms “

C D B A E” and

“

C A D B E”

does not match said first pattern, since the relative positions of the words A and B are 3, 2 and 2, 4 respectively, and not 2, 3 as specified in the pattern.