Software testing system that employs a graphical interface to generate

Abstract

A data processing system enables a user to generate test cases that exercise a program under test. The data processing system includes a display, a keyboard input and memory for storing a library of node types including AND, OR, Decision and Content nodes, node linking data and a graphical user interface procedure. A central processor controls the display, input keyboard and memory and in response to user inputs, creates a data base in memory that defines a hybrid tree structure that includes a plurality of node data structures. Each AND node data structure is connected by links to a plurality of child node data structures, each link to a child node data structure defining a sequence order value among all child node data structures linked to the AND node data structure. Each sequence order value defines a position in a sequence in which information is placed in the test case by traversal of the associated child node data structure. OR node data structures include an ability to set probabilities of visitation during traversal of a tree structure and Content node data structures enable definitions of a numerical set range and a probability that a randomly chosen value will be inside or outside the range. All AND, OR and Content node data structures have a looping attribute which defines how many times the node and its children will be revisited during execution of the tree structure. A Decision Node directs further traversed of the tree dependent upon the achievement of a condition statement.