pecification of dependency areas in UML designs

A concept of dependency areas can help in tracing an impact of artifacts of a project (requirements, elements of the UML design, extracts of the code) and assist in their evolution. The dependency area of an element of a UML design is a part of the design that is highly influenced by the given initial element. Dependency areas are identified using sets of propagation rules and strategies. Selection strategies control application of many, possible rules. Bounding strategies limit the number of elements assigned to the areas. This paper is devoted to the specification of the rules and strategies. They are specified using an extended UML meta-model and expressions in the Object Constraint Language (OCL)

Experiences of software engineering training

In this paper some experiences from laboratories of Advanced Software Engineering course are presented. This laboratory consists of seven exercises. The subjects of exercises are following: requirements engineering, system design with UML [1], reuse, precise modelling with the Object Constraint Language (OCL [2]), code coverage testing, memory leaks detection and improving application efficiency. For each laboratory exercise a set of training materials and instructions was developed. These internet materials are stored on a department server and are available for all students and lecturers of this course. Rational Suite tools [3] are used in the laboratory. The goal of introducing Internet materials was to improve the quality of SE education. Some experiences and observations are presented. The evaluation of students results is also given

Interpretation Problems in Code Generation from UML State Machines -a Comparative Study

Abstract. A practical utilisation of a model-driven approach to an information system development is hampered by inconsistencies causing interpretation problems. This paper focuses on the state machine that is a common means for modelling behaviour. A transformation of classes with their state machines into a code assists in the efficient development of reliable applications. A set of interpretation problems of state machines was revisited in accordance with the UML specification and examined on model examples transformed to an executable code. The paper compares the implementation of the problems regarding to two tools that support the transformation and takes into account the most comprehensive set of the UML behavioural state machine concepts. The tools are the IBM Rational Rhapsody, which transforms state machines to C, C++, Java, Ada and the Framework for eXecutable UML (FXU) dealing with the C# code. The basic information about the FXU tool is also given

Object-Oriented Mutation Applied in Common Intermediate Language Programs Originated from C#

Abstract-Application of object-oriented mutation operators in C# programs using a parser-based tool can be precise but requires compilation of mutants. Mutations can be introduced faster directly to the Common Intermediate Language of .NET. It can be simple for traditional mutation operators but more complicated for the object-oriented ones. We propose the reconstruction of complex object-oriented faults on the intermediate language level. The approach was tested in the ILMutator tool implementing few object-oriented mutation operators in the intermediate code derived from compiled C# programs. Exemplary mutation and performance results are given and compared to results of the parser-based mutation tool CREAM

Assessment of Class Mutation Operators for C++ with the MuCPP Mutation System

Context: Mutation testing has been mainly analyzed regarding traditional mutation operators involving structured programming constructs common in mainstream languages, but mutations at the class level have not been assessed to the same extent. This fact is noteworthy in the case of C++ despite being one of the most relevant languages including object-oriented features. Objective: This paper provides a complete evaluation of class operators for the C++ programming language. MuCPP, a new system devoted to the application of mutation testing to this language, was developed to this end. This mutation system implements class mutation operators in a robust way, dealing with the inherent complexity of the language. Method: MuCPP generates the mutants by traversing the abstract syntax tree of each translation unit with the Clang API, and stores mutants as branches in the Git version control system. The tool is able to detect duplicate mutants, avoid system headers, and drive the compilation process. Then, MuCPP is used to conduct experiments with several open-source C programs. Results: The improvement rules listed in this paper to reduce unproductive class mutants have a significant impact in the computational cost of the technique. We also calculate the quantity and distribution of mutants generated with class operators, which generate far fewer mutants than their traditional counterparts. Conclusions: We show that the tests accompanying these programs cannot detect faults related to particular object-oriented features of C++. In order to increase the mutation score, we create new test scenarios to kill the surviving class mutants for all the applications. The results confirm that, while traditional mutation operators are still needed, class operators can complement them and help testers further improve the test suite

Assessment of C++ object-oriented mutation operators: A selective mutation approach

Mutation testing is an effective but costly testing technique. Several studies have observed that some mutants can be redundant and therefore removed without affecting its effectiveness. Similarly, some mutants may be more effective than others in guiding the tester on the creation of high‐quality test cases. On the basis of these findings, we present an assessment of C++ class mutation operators by classifying them into 2 rankings: the first ranking sorts the operators on the basis of their degree of redundancy and the second regarding the quality of the tests they help to design. Both rankings are used in a selective mutation study analysing the trade‐off between the reduction achieved and the effectiveness when using a subset of mutants. Experimental results consistently show that leveraging the operators at the top of the 2 rankings, which are different, lead to a significant reduction in the number of mutants with a minimum loss of effectiveness

Class mutation operators for C++ object-oriented systems

Mutation testing is a fault injection testing technique around which a great variety of studies and tools for different programming languages have been developed. Nevertheless, the mutation testing research with respect to C++ is pending. This paper proposes a set of class mutation operators related to this language and its particular object-oriented (OO) features. In addition, an implementation technique to apply mutation testing based on the traversal of the abstract syntax tree (AST) is presented. Finally, an experiment is conducted to study the operator behaviour with different C++ programs, suggesting their usefulness in the creation of complete test suites. The analysis includes a Web service (WS) library, one of the domains where this technique can prove useful, considering its challenging testing phase and that C++ is still a reference language for critical distributed systems WS

An Experimental Case Study to Applying Mutation Analysis for SQL Queries

Abstract—This paper is devoted to evaluation of mutation operators of SQL queries that retrieve information from a database. The operators mimic various faults of the queries that are syntactically correct but produce results unintended by the developers. A case study applies the SQL mutation operators to typical queries commonly used in programs cooperating with a real database implemented in an insurance company. The experimental results of the mutation testing and performance measures are provided. Usability of operators was validated comparing distribution of generated mutants, ability to detect mutants by tests and execution times of mutants. I I