BlackBoxTestGen: An Automatic Black-Box Test Case Generation Framework

Software testing is essential for software engineering practices, as it ensures that the final software product is reliable and satisfies all requirements before delivery. However, manually designing black-box testing test cases is time-consuming, inconsistent, and difficult to maintain in accordance with changing specifications. Therefore, this paper presents BlackBoxTestGen, an automatic framework that unifies three specification-driven black-box testing techniques, including rule-based Equivalence Class Partitioning (ECP), syntax, and state transition testing. The framework utilises a redesigned XML structure for test case generation to be shared among a data dictionary, decision tree, and state machine, used by each testing technique. The degree of testing coverage is accumulatively calculated during the test case generation process. The beneficial value of our proposed framework was demonstrated with the development of a web-based prototype tool. We rigorously evaluated its performance in terms of accuracy, computational efficiency, and scalability through a multidimensional approach. This included assessment by professional experts, algorithmic stress testing via parameter scaling, and application to close-to-realistic case studies. The results indicate that BlackBoxTestGen provides a robust integration of testing techniques. By automating the generation of compact and reproducible test cases, the framework substantially reduces manual effort and minimises drift between techniques.