State-based Testing is Functional Testing

  • Authors:
  • Florentin Ipate;Raluca Lefticaru

  • Affiliations:
  • University of Pitesti;University of Pitesti

  • Venue:
  • TAICPART-MUTATION '07 Proceedings of the Testing: Academic and Industrial Conference Practice and Research Techniques - MUTATION
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Empirical studies report unsatisfactory fault detection of state-based methods in class testing and advocate the use of functional methods to complement state-based testing. In this paper, we take the view that the modest fault detection of state-based class testing reported in the literature is actually due to the inappropriate state diagram used. We show that functional testing of a class can be reduced to state-based testing, provided that the right state model is produced. We present a strategy for constructing a state diagram for a class method, based on a domain partition derived through functional techniques. We also describe a method for deriving test sequences from the resulting state diagrams, essentially a variant of the W-method. The paper also reports results from an experimental evaluation of the proposed approach, based on mutants generated by Mu- Java.