IP/O-chains coverage criterion.

Abstract

In this thesis, three versions of the IP/$O\sb2$-chains coverage criterion, namely the original IP/$O\sb2$-chains coverage criterion, applicable IP/$O\sb2$-chains coverage criterion and subdomain-based IP/$O\sb2$-chains coverage criterion, are compared to the other control and data-flow-oriented software testing criteria under "strictly includes" and "properly covers" relations. The precise positions of these three versions of the IP/$O\sb2$-chains coverage criterion in three hierarchies are given. Then, a new version of IP/$O\sb{n}$-chains coverage is defined. It is proved that: (i) Applicable new IP/$O\sb2$-chains coverage criterion strictly includes applicable all-uses criterion; (ii) For any given program P, there exists a number n such that subdomain-based new IP/$O\sb{n}$-chains coverage criterion covers subdomain-based all-uses criterion; (iii) For any given program P, there exists a numbern such that for each IP/$O\sb{j}$-chain c, if one duplicates the subdomain of c l(c) times, where $j\leq n$ and l(c) is the length of c, then subdomain-based new IP/$O\sb{n}$-chains coverage criterion is better than subdomain all-uses criterion under measure M; (iv) Subdomain-based new IP/$O\sb{n}$-chains coverage criterion and subdomain-based required k-tuples$\sp+$ criterion are incomparable in "universally properly covers" relation; (v) For any given program P, there exists a number n such that for each IP/$O\sb{j}$-chain c, if one duplicates the subdomain of c m(c) times, where $j\leq n$ and m(c) is the total number of df-chains on c, then subdomain-based new IP/$O\sb{n}$-chains coverage criterion properly covers the subdomain-based required k-tuples$\sp+$ criterion.