GERT: an empirical reliability estimation and testing feedback tool

Software testing is an integral part of the software development process. Some software developers, particularly those who use the Extreme Programming test-driven development practice, continuously write automated tests to verify their code. We present a tool to complement the feedback loops created by continuous testing. The tool combines static source code metrics with dynamic test coverage for use throughout the development phase to predict a reliability estimate based on a linear combination of these values. Implemented as an open source plug-in to the Eclipse IDE, the tool facilitates the rapid transition between unit test case completions and testing feedback. The color-coded results highlight inadequate testing efforts as well as weaknesses in overall program structure. To illustrate the tool's efficacy, we share the results of its use on university software engineering course projects.