Predicate-based test generation for computer programs

The author first describes a number of existing testing strategies for simple predicates and then explains why intuitive extensions of such strategies are ineffective or impractical for testing compound predicates, which are predicates with one or more AND/OR operators. Two fault-based testing strategies for compound predicates are defined, BOR (Boolean operator) testing and BRO (Boolean and relational operator) testing. It is shown that for a predicate with n, n>0, AND/OR operators, at most n+2 (2*n+3) tests are needed to satisfy BOR (BRO) testing. Preliminary experimental results indicate that BOR and BRO testing are effective for the detection of various types of faults in a predicate and provide more specific guidance than branch testing for test generation.<<ETX>>