Automatically Generating Functional Tests from Specifications - A Knowledge Based Constraint Logical Programming Approach

Recent experimental results indicate that functional testing is one of the most effective methods in detecting certain classes of faults. Very little work has been done in automating functional testing. This thesis research develops a method, called hierarchical partition, for automating functional testing. The key to our approach is the utilization of a pre-existing knowledge base about the domain of discourse. Several approaches to knowledge organiza­tion are discussed along with the resulting effects on the quantity and quality of functional tests produced. This research is an application and development of Generic Constraint Logic Programming and the Knowledge Driven Iterative Reasoning Architecture. The approach was applied to a small but significant and extensively studied software application known as the Launch Intercept Condition (LIC) problem. Preliminary results indicate that the application of the method described in this research could have been used to eliminate a significant class of logic errors generated during a previous study of LIC problem. Although results are not complete, we feel they demonstrate the effectiveness of the hierarchical partition method and constraint logic programming in the automation of functional testing.