Sun Microsystems, Inc.

James D Halpern

Jonathan J Gibbons

Roger D Hayes

Luigi A Pio-di-Savoia

An auto-checking testing funtion generator is provided for generating auto-checking testing functions for procedures of a software interface from a formal specification specifying the procedures. The procedures are specified with procedure semantic expressions identifying the procedures and specifying their arguments, returning results, raisable exceptions, exceptional and normal terminations. Each exception or normal termination specifies the correct post-execution exception or normal termination state for the procedure given a particular pre-execution state. The procedure semantic expressions are boolean expressions constructed using comparison and boolean operators, calls to the procedure, auxiliary and special functions. The auxiliary functions are user supplied, and the special functions are supplied by the auto-checking testing funtion generator. An auto-checking testing funtion is generated for each procedure. Each generated auto-checking testing funtion has the same execution flow for determining whether the procedure behaved properly or improperly when executed. The execution flow makes the determination by evaluating the specified exceptional and normal terminations.

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Belmont, CA, United States of America

James D Halpern