Associating probes with test cases

• US 8,402,446 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Singh, Saurabh
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US12/627,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/129
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

A probe (hereinafter also referred to as a breakpoint) can be added into source code of an application program. The probe can be exported to a file or any other form of storage. The probe is then associated with a unique test case for the application program thereby creating a direct mapping between the application program and the test case for the application program. In one embodiment, the probe can be added to at least one of a function or module of the application program.

Claims

1. A method for testing application programs, the method comprising:

adding at least one probe in an application program;

exporting each of the at least one probe to a file; and

storing the file, wherein the file comprises a mapping of between breakpoints corresponding to probes, wherein each breakpoint is associated with the application program and a unique test case

executing a test case on the application program;

determining that an error is found; and

responsive to the determining of the error, assigning the error to a user, wherein the method comprises importing the file containing the probes to ascertain the exact location of the error.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the probes are stored as at least one of a structured or unstructured data in the file.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises index linking each of the probes in the file with at least one corresponding test case.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the probes in the application program is added by a user.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein exporting the probes to a file is performed using a software tool.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein importing the probes from the file is performed using a software tool.

7. A system comprising at least a processor and a memory configured for testing application programs, the system capable of:

adding at least one probe in an application program;

exporting each of the at least one probe to a file; and

storing the file, wherein the file comprises a mapping of between breakpoints corresponding to probes, wherein each breakpoint is associated with the application program and a unique test case

executing a test case on the application program;

determining that an error is found; and

responsive to the determining of the error, assigning the error to a user, wherein the method comprises importing the file containing the probes to ascertain the exact location of the error.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the probes are stored as at least one of a structured or unstructured data in the file.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, the system being further capable of:

associating each of the probes in the file with the at least one test case.

10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the probes in the application program is added by a user.

11. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein exporting the probes to a file is performed using a software tool.

12. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein importing the probes from the file is performed using a software tool.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable tangible storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured for managing tasks in a computer system having a plurality of CPUs, the computer program product when executed on the computer system performing the steps of:

adding at least one probe in an application program;

exporting each of the at least one probe to a file; and

storing the file, wherein the file comprises a mapping of between breakpoints corresponding to probes, wherein each breakpoint is associated with the application program and a unique test case;

executing a test case on the application program;

determining that an error is found; and

responsive to the determining of the error, assigning the error to a user, wherein the method comprises importing the file containing the probes to ascertain the exact location of the error.

14. The computer program product as claimed in claim 13, wherein the probes are stored as at least one of a structured or unstructured data in the file.

15. The computer program product as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the computer program product is executed on the computer system it further performs the steps of:

index linking each of the probes in the file with at least one corresponding test case.

16. The computer program product as claimed in claim 13, wherein the probes in the application program is added by a user.

17. The computer program product as claimed in claim 13, wherein exporting and importing the probes is performed using a software development tool.