Constraint-based automatic test data generation
Abstract
A novel technique for automatically generating test data is presented. The technique is based on mutation analysis and creates test data that approximate relative adequacy. It is a fault-based technique that uses algebraic constraints to describe test cases designed to find particular types of faults. A set of tools (collectively called Godzilla) that automatically generates constraints and solves them to create test cases for unit and module testing has been implemented. Godzilla has been integrated with the Mothra testing system and has been used as an effective way to generate test data that kill program mutants. The authors present an initial list of constraints and discuss some of the problems that have been solved to develop the complete implementation of the technique.>
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Low-level languages that allow raw memory access and pointer arithmetic are known to cause problems with memory aliasing and arrays, because the memory location referenced by pointer arithmetic cannot always be determined.
“For example, low-level languages that support raw memory access and pointer arithmetic are known to pose issues with memory aliasing and arrays as it is not always determinable what memory location is being referred to with pointer arithmetic [52].”
From Academic Source Code Plagiarism Detection by Measuring Program Behavioral Similarity (2021) · cites this paper as [52]
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Academic Source Code Plagiarism Detection by Measuring Program Behavioral Similarity
Cheers, H., Lin, Y., & Smith, S. P. (2021) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2021.3069367 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“For example, low-level languages that support raw memory access and pointer arithmetic are known to pose issues with memory aliasing and arrays as it is not always determinable what memory location is being referred to with pointer arithmetic [52].”
BackgroundCarFast: achieving higher statement coverage faster
Park, S., Hossain, B. M. M., Hussain, I., Csallner, C., Grechanik, M., Taneja, K., Fu, C., & Xie, Q. (2012) · Proceedings of the ACM SIGSOFT 20th International Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering · doi:10.1145/2393596.2393636 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
- Authors
- DeMilli, R. A., & Offutt, A. J.
- Affiliations
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Clemson University (US)
- Venue
- IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
- Published
- 1991-09
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 900-910
- ISSN
- 0098-5589 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-3520
- 2326-3881
- OpenAlex
- W2120552859
- Cited by
- 804
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 45 · 2013: 42 · 2012: 48
- FWCI
- 31.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Software › Software Testing and Debugging Techniques
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Hardware and Architecture › VLSI and Analog Circuit Testing
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computational Theory and Mathematics › Formal Methods in Verification
- Keywords
- automatic test data generation, mutation testing, constraint solving, algebraic constraints, fault-based testing, unit testing, Godzilla, Mothra
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