Method and system for software object testing

• US 6,775,824 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2000
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Empirix Incorporated (Empirix Holdings I, Inc.)
• Inventors: Friedman, George, Glik, Michael V., Osborne, Theodore M. II, Baker, Caren H., Vahey, Walter G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KENDALL, CHUCK O
• Application Number:
  US09/481,151
• Time in Patent Office: 1,672 Days
• Field of Search: 717/107, 717/124-130, 714/38, 714/46, 714/703, 714/738
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases

Abstract

A system for testing middleware of applications in the N-tiered model. The test system contains test code generators, test engines to execute multiple copies of the test code and a data analyzer to analyze and present the results to a human user. The system is able to automatically generate test code to exercise components of the middleware using information about these components that would otherwise be available to the application under test. Multiple copies of the test code are executed in a synchronized fashion. Execution times of multiple events are recorded and then presented in one of several formats. With the system, an application developer can identify components that represent performance bottlenecks or can gather information on deployment properties of individual components that can be used to enhance the performance of the application under test.

Claims

1. A method of generating test code for testing of a software application under test, the software application under test being of the type having a plurality of software components within a container, the method comprising the steps of:

a) generating a request to the container whereby the container responds with interface information associated with a software component, wherein the interface information includes at least one component method and at least one property associated with the at least one component method;

b) automatically generating data values in a range of values and having a data type permitted by the at least one property; and

c) generating client test code for testing the software application under test, said client test code including commands to exercise the at least one component method, wherein the client test code includes the automatically generated data values as inputs to the at least one component method, and wherein the client test code accesses the at least one component method with an interface provided by the container.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the software application under test communicates with a database and the at least one component method sets values in the database.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the software application under test communicates with a database and the at least one component method gets values from the database.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the software application under test communicates with a database and the at least one component method creates records in the database.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the software application under test communicates with a database and the at least one component method finds records in the database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the software application under test includes at least one software component associated with a business software application.

7. A method of generating test code for testing a software component within a software application under test, each software component having a plurality of component methods and properties associated therewith, the method comprising:

a) accessing a reflection interface associated with the software component;

b) using the reflection interface to determine component methods associated with the software component; and

c) generating test code for testing the software component within the software application under test, said test code including commands that exercise the component methods.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

a) the step of using the reflection interface includes using the reflection interface to determine properties associated with the software component; and

b) the step of generating test code for testing the software component within the software application under test includes using the properties of the software component to determine allowable ranges of values for inputs to the component methods and selecting values within the allowable ranges.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the software application under test includes at least one software component associated with a business software application.