Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns, and Tools [Hardcover]

Robert V. Binder (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201809389 | ISBN-13: 978-0201809381 | Publication Date: November 7, 1999

More than ever, mission-critical and business-critical applications depend on object-oriented (OO) software. Testing techniques tailored to the unique challenges of OO technology are necessary to achieve high reliability and quality. Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns, and Tools is an authoritative guide to designing and automating test suites for OO applications. This comprehensive book explains why testing must be model-based and provides in-depth coverage of techniques to develop testable models from state machines, combinational logic, and the Unified Modeling Language (UML). It introduces the test design pattern and presents 37 patterns that explain how to design responsibility-based test suites, how to tailor integration and regression testing for OO code, how to test reusable components and frameworks, and how to develop highly effective test suites from use cases. Effective testing must be automated and must leverage object technology. The author describes how to design and code specification-based assertions to offset testability losses due to inheritance and polymorphism. Fifteen micro-patterns present oracle strategies--practical solutions for one of the hardest problems in test design. Seventeen design patterns explain how to automate your test suites with a coherent OO test harness framework. The author provides thorough coverage of testing issues such as: *The bug hazards of OO programming and differences from testing procedural code *How to design responsibility-based tests for classes, clusters, and subsystems using class invariants, interface data flow models, hierarchic state machines, class associations, and scenario analysis *How to support reuse by effective testing of abstract classes, generic classes, components, and frameworks *How to choose an integration strategy that supports iterative and incremental development *How to achieve comprehensive system testing with testable use cases *How to choose a regression test approach *How to develop expected test results and evaluate the post-test state of an object *How to automate testing with assertions, OO test drivers, stubs, and test frameworks Real-world experience, world-class best practices, and the latest research in object-oriented testing are included. Practical examples illustrate test design and test automation for Ada 95, C++, Eiffel, Java, Objective-C, and Smalltalk. The UML is used throughout, but the test design patterns apply to systems developed with any OO language or methodology. 0201809389B04062001

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

More than ever, mission-critical and business-critical applications depend on object-oriented (OO) software. Testing techniques tailored to the unique challenges of OO technology are necessary to achieve high reliability and quality. Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns, and Tools is an authoritative guide to designing and automating test suites for OO applications.

This comprehensive book explains why testing must be model-based and provides in-depth coverage of techniques to develop testable models from state machines, combinational logic, and the Unified Modeling Language (UML). It introduces the test design pattern and presents 37 patterns that explain how to design responsibility-based test suites, how to tailor integration and regression testing for OO code, how to test reusable components and frameworks, and how to develop highly effective test suites from use cases.

Effective testing must be automated and must leverage object technology. The author describes how to design and code specification-based assertions to offset testability losses due to inheritance and polymorphism. Fifteen micro-patterns present oracle strategies--practical solutions for one of the hardest problems in test design. Seventeen design patterns explain how to automate your test suites with a coherent OO test harness framework.

The author provides thorough coverage of testing issues such as:

• The bug hazards of OO programming and differences from testing procedural code
• How to design responsibility-based tests for classes, clusters, and subsystems using class invariants, interface data flow models, hierarchic state machines, class associations, and scenario analysis
• How to support reuse by effective testing of abstract classes, generic classes, components, and frameworks
• How to choose an integration strategy that supports iterative and incremental development
• How to achieve comprehensive system testing with testable use cases
• How to choose a regression test approach
• How to develop expected test results and evaluate the post-test state of an object
• How to automate testing with assertions, OO test drivers, stubs, and test frameworks

Real-world experience, world-class best practices, and the latest research in object-oriented testing are included. Practical examples illustrate test design and test automation for Ada 95, C++, Eiffel, Java, Objective-C, and Smalltalk. The UML is used throughout, but the test design patterns apply to systems developed with any OO language or methodology.

0201809389B04062001

About the Author

Robert V. Binder, president and founder of RBSC Corporation, is internationally recognized as the leading expert in testing object-oriented systems. With more than 25 years of software development experience in a wide range of technical and management roles, he has implemented advanced OO test design and automation solutions for hundreds of clients. He is the author of Application Debugging, writes a column on testing for Component Strategies, and has published many articles in peer-reviewed and popular journals. He serves on the board of the annual Quality Week conference and is a senior member of the IEEE.

0201809389AB04062001

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1248 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (November 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201809389
• ISBN-13: 978-0201809381
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.3 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A necessary book, but will the right people read it?, March 31, 2000

By 

Stephan Meyn "Stephan Meyn" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns, and Tools (Hardcover)

A book like this is intimidating. At close to 1000 pages it is no lightweight reading matter. However this book is an engineer's approach to the concept of testing object systems and it should be a standard reference for OO developers.

Object-oriented languages, while recognised as a clear forward step in programming technology, introduce new ways for defects to be introduced. Inheritance and polymorphism both are powerful concepts, but also carry the potential for insidious defects. This book introduces fundamental techniques to analyse the class design and derive appropriate tests for its behaviour.
I regard Bob's book as a must for developers. However I wonder if they will read it. This is not a criticism on this book, quite the contrary. My concern is related to the insight that most programmers see unit testing as an afterthought and not as a major component of their work. Often unit testing is seen as difficult, because of the complexities of class behaviour. And it is so easy to pass this burden on to system testing.

My message for developers is, make the attempt to read it! It actually makes it easier to design and implement unit testing. It also pays off. You will have less requests for bugfixes coming back from testing.

It has been long my contention that it is in the interest of the testing community to get out of its own trenches and start working closely with developers, making it easy for them to implement effective unit testing. This book is a good start in this direction.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" testing reference., May 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns, and Tools (Hardcover)

This book is invaluable. Yes, it is large, but the topic is large, and this incredible book covers it so thoroughly. It is also extremely readable, with no skimping on the practical examples. The book is filled with test design patterns, and a variety of testing related procedures, all ready for implementation. The material on testing strategies based on fault-models is priceless, and is applicable outside the OO paradigm.

I developed software for 12 years in a "testing-by-use-cases" company. Over 50% of the bugs coming out of our system tests were unit test problems! Argh! I can't wait to start using the great stuff in this book. An example: a table in Chapter 8 lists the various UML diagrams and how they can be related to test design patterns.

If you play any role in the development of OO software, you need this book. And if Chapter 4, which points out exactly the problems that come with OO software and how to make the necessary changes to manage them, and section 2.3 "FAQs for Object-oriented Testing" do not convince you to take a new look at your approach to testing, you are probably beyond hope. A spot has already been reserved on my bookshelf for the promised companion volume.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book with good basics of software testing, November 1, 2009

By 

Arun Ambupe - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns, and Tools (Hardcover)

This book gives solid view of basics of software testing. This book covers theory as well as practical examples.
All the topics are covered in details touching all the aspects of the software testing.
This a very good reference book for Software Testing.